


The Field Trip

by khaleesivero



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: AU, F/M, Fieldtrip, Fluff, Gally is annoying, Gay, Gay Romance, I'll try it anyway, M/M, Minho is sassy, Newt is gay, Romance, We don't know if Thomas is gay, Well we do because this is Newtmas, newtmas - Freeform, probably smut later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:58:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3237149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleesivero/pseuds/khaleesivero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which the boys (and one girl) of the Glade High School's Advanced Biology class go on a field trip camping in the woods. However, the woods can be like a maze, and our heroes get lost. Everyone is after Teresa, except Newt, who is after Thomas. And who does Thomas want? What will happen? Newtmas romance, probably smut later on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Announcement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Raini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raini/gifts).



CHAPTER 1 - The Announcement

"We'll be going on a field trip two weeks from now" was the sentence that woke all students up from the naps they'd been taking while their biology teacher, Mister Schneider, had been blabbering on and on about mitosis in a voice so dry Newt thought it'd make him cough. At the words "field trip", heads were lifted from desks and eyes widened.

"A field trip?", Alby, who was sitting next to Newt, parroted astonished.

"Where to?", Newt added.

"What for?", Gally, the annoying boy in the back row, shouted. Newt normally rolled his eyes at anything he said, but not now - he was too interested in the teacher's answer.

"Indeed, a field trip, Mister Einstein", Mister Schneider repeated, obviously confused by the amount of attention he got. "We'll go to the country side to explore nature. We'll camp and collect plants and compile a portfolio on what we've learned. The field trip will last for six days; we'll leave on Monday and be back on Saturday. It will be tremendously educational."

Newt and Alby looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Well, I don't know whatcha thinking about the educational part of this field trip, mate, but sounds better than hanging around this bloody school, if you ask me", Newt said in a lowered voice.

"True that", Alby muttered in agreement.

"...bring an extra tent for our lady", the teacher was saying at that moment. Some of the boys sniggered and some turned around to look at the only girl in the class, Teresa. She didn't blush, though, but just nodded at the teacher in an elegant, almost arrogant way.

Teresa had only transferred to their school a few weeks ago, together with Thomas, the second new student they'd got this year. They were all in their final year of high school, which meant that they were a pretty tight community already, and Thomas and Teresa seemed to know each other from somewhere, so they mostly hung out together and didn't mingle a lot. Newt thought that this was too bad - Thomas was tall, if one or two inches short of himself, and very good-looking with his dark hair, blue eyes and athletic body. However, he was sure that the new boy was interested in girls, from the way he stupidly laughed at Teresa's jokes, and therefore no boyfriend material for him, anyway. His classmates were still obsessing over the fact that they had now an actual woman (who was actually quite beautiful, as far as Newt was concerned - if you liked the slim, dark-haired, female type) sitting in their classroom, and since Newt was gay, anyway, he could lean back and watch the spectacle with amusement (and probably shoot secret glances at Thomas).

"The rest of you will camp in pairs", the teacher announced. Alby and Newt shot a quick glance at each other - of course they would stay together, they were best friends. Alby had known about Newt's sexuality for years and was completely fine with it - he was even glad that he had a gay wingman; probably because said wingman was quite a sight with his blonde hair and huge brown eyes. No-one had ever given Newt any troubles concerning his homosexuality - sometimes, when he outsmarted some of the boys, they would call him a "gay smartass", but in a joking and affectionate way. Newt counted himself very lucky.

"The tents will be provided, but you should definitely bring sleeping bags, warm clothes and good shoes. It goes without saying that alcohol and cigarettes are forbidden." A few people laughed, among them Minho, Newt's second best friend, who was sitting in front of them. The muscular Korean kid was known for his love for parties, and Newt could only guess what creative ways he would find to smuggle liquor into his tent. 

At that moment, the bell rang, and the excited whispers that had filled the room since Mr Schneider's announcement turned into animated discussions, completely drowning the teacher's "We'll discuss the particulars tomorrow!"

Minho turned around, his elbows on Newt's table. "What do you think, guys? Sounds like a cool idea! And now that we have a girl in our class" - Minho wiggled his eyebrows at Alby - "things actually might get quite interesting!" Both of them grinned.

"Sorry to disappoint you, lads, but I guess she's taken!", Newt objected. Minho looked at him in disbelief. "What?” the blonde asked.

"Newt, man, you don't really think Thomas is even half as attractive as I am?", Minho asked in a shocked voice. Newt laughed at his stupid face.

"Actually, he's quite good-looking. And I know what I'm talking about."

"Oh right. Damn it. I guess I need to use my charming personality to win her over, then."

This time, both Alby and Newt were laughing out loud.

"You guys suck!" Minho got up, playfully acting as if he were insulted.

Teresa and Thomas were passing the friends at that moment, apparently talking about the fieldtrip. Minho turned his head to them. "Hey, Thomas!"

Thomas stopped and looked at Minho, then at Newt and Alby, still sitting at their desks. Damn, his eyes were dreamy. Too bad he was with Teresa. "What's up, guys?", he asked.

"Wanna share tents on the trip?", Minho asked in the direct tone that was his trademark; beating around the bush was not his style.

Thomas shrugged nonchalantly in a way that made Newt suppress smile. "Sure!" Everyone liked Minho because he was funny and honest. Thomas seemed to be no exception to that. Minho nodded at him and smiled at Teresa (which she ignored and which also caused Alby and Newt to grin at each other). Theresa and Thomas continued their way out of class. Minho turned back to his friends and grinned.

"Why did you do that?" Newt asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about hanging out with Thomas. Of course he wanted to get to know him - he was, after all, extremely cute - but he knew from experience that trying to be friends with boys he felt attracted to was a dangerous business, biased for heartbreak.

"Keeping pretty boy close and away from pretty girl, duh." Minho rolled his eyes at Newt. "Who knows, I might have done you a favour. I'm getting some distinctly gay vibes off him, to be honest."

"You bastard", Newt scolded and smacked Minho on the head. 

"Language, golden boy. The Queen would not approve."

"Seriously? Three years of High school together and you're still not over the Brit jokes? I expect better from you." Newt got up. "Come on, guys, we'll be late for English."


	2. The Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The field trip commences! First tiny Newtmas moments, Minho is sassy and - oh, just read it :D

Two weeks later, Newt was riding shotgun in his mum's Mercedes, his backpack between his knees, the fingers of his right hand drumming excitedly against the car door. The bus would leave in thirty minutes, and he and his mother would arrive at the school (where it was waiting) soon - plenty of time to make sure him, Minho and Alby could sit in the back, away from their teacher and preferably also from the likes of Gally.

"Excited, darling?", his mum asked, smiling at him. Newt adored his mother; she was a successful businesswoman who still always found time to spend with her son and her younger daughter Sonya, who was a freshman. Mrs Isaac was blonde like him, and they had the same brown eyes.

"Kind of", Newt admitted, smiling back. "I think I haven't been camping since we moved here."

"Well, I think you've got everything you need to be comfortable." Mrs Isaac pulled into the school's parking lot. "Just take care of yourself and have a good time, will you?", she said, stopping the car, expecting her son to jump out immediately. Newt, however, leaned over to peck his mum on the cheek.

"Why, Newton, is it Christmas already?", his mother laughed. "Off you go! Love you loads!"

"Take care!", Newt grinned and shut the door behind him. With a last smile, he turned away and walked towards the big yellow bus that was already waiting, his backpack dangling from his right shoulder.

Alby, who was always early for everything, was already there, sitting in the back, keeping a seat for him as well as Minho. "Cheers, mate!", Newt thanked as he let himself fall into the seat next to his best friend. Their backpacks were dropped onto the fourth seat, the one they wouldn't need.

Their teacher was already there, giving directions to the bus driver (who seemed annoyed by that) and, luckily, ignoring them. Students started appearing, among them Thomas and Teresa, who sat down in front of them. As he let himself fall into his seat, Newt caught the scent of Thomas' aftershave. It smelled fresh and manly - and he blushed slightly as he imagined accidentally smelling the boy's neck. Stop being so pathetic, Newton. It's not like you.

"Morning", he greeted them, smiling slightly. Teresa looked at him as if she hadn't known he had a voice (which was probably true - they'd never talked before) but Thomas nodded at him. "Morning, guys. You've seen Minho? He's not sick, is he?" That possibility seemed to make him nervous. Newt wondered if Thomas was shy - he didn't seem like it, but maybe this whole thing about being the newbie did freak him out more than he wanted to let on. Newt smiled what he thought was a reassuring smile.

"Don't you worry, mate, he'll be here. He'll just appear at the last possible second."

Thomas seemed to be reassured by that, but now Teresa turned around. "Mate? Are you British?" she asked rather harshly, but the girl seemed to be almost interested. Newt didn't want to come off as rude - of course he was British, didn't she recognise a London accent when she heard one? - so he just nodded. Teresa eyed him warily, then turned back to Thomas. "So Tom", she said, her voice changing into a velvety purr that made Newt unreasonably annoyed, "I've found this cool Indie band you totally need to check out and -" The rest of what she said was unintelligible as she bent down to rummage around in her backpack. Thomas turned to face Newt once more.

"Never mind her, she's just moody because she totally doesn't wanna go on a field trip. But we'll have fun, anyway!" Thomas smiled at Newt and his smile reminded Newt of the sun bursting through the clouds on a foggy day. Butterflies flapped their wings shyly in his stomach as he smiled back before turning back to Alby who'd spent the last few minutes looking for cookies in his backpack and had now found them, offering one to Newt.

"Alright, listen up!", Mister Schneider called the group to attention. "Is everyone here?" He did a quick count, walking along the aisle and pointing at students. "Someone is missing. Where is -"

"The party don't start 'til I walk in!", a voice boomed behind Mister Schneider. Newt and Alby cheered as Minho came strolling towards the back, squeezing past their teacher and falling into the seat his friends had kept for him. "Alright, we can go!", he called out.

Mister Schneider seemed gobsmacked for a few seconds, but then said, "Let's go, then."

The bus started moving. Minho grinned at his friends. "Took me some time to smuggle some booze into my backpack after my parents had left. But it'll totally be worth it. Give me one of those cookies, will ya?"

The first hour of their drive went by in a comfortable mix of talking, laughing, eating cookies and planning their secret tent parties. Minho had managed to sneak vodka out of his parents' house, already mixed with orange juice (as this was less suspicious), and they eagerly whispered about whom they should divulge their secret to. Thomas would probably notice if Minho got drunk, anyway, but Alby wasn't sure whether the greenie and Teresa could be trusted. They agreed on waiting and seeing. Newt was not too crazy about getting drunk, but he didn't want to be a spoilsport, and he could always say no when it came to that.

About ninety minutes into the their journey, Mister Schneider, whom they'd almost forgotten about, got up, announcing that they would take a fifteen minute break at the next roadhouse. This didn't really elicit a lot of responses, but when the bus pulled off the high way and into a parking lot, everyone got up to use the restrooms or stretch their legs. Newt had another tiny butterfly-wing-flap-moment when Thomas held the door of the roadhouse open for him and smiled a little. He smiled back and almost tripped over his own feet. Smooth, Isaac, smooth. Luckily, Thomas didn't seem to notice.

Once all bladders were empty and numerous bags of overpriced chips had been purchased, everyone got back onto the bus. Minho was bored (which was a common thing for him) and started to throw chips at Gally - a pastime several other boys cheerfully joined him in and within minutes, the bus was in shambles, causing Mister Schneider to throw a (very quiet) tantrum (that no-one took seriously) and nominating Minho, Alby and Gally to clean the bus after their arrival. 

"That is SO unfair!! Why do I have to clean up when THEY were throwing stuff at me?!" Gally complained.

"That is SO unfair!! It was not just the two of us throwing chips!" Alby complained.

Mister Schneider, for once, stayed firm. "Minho and Albert, you two started this mess, and Gally, I bet you provoked them into doing it. I can't have everyone clean the bus - someone's got to put up the tents as well. You boys settle your disagreements while working together" - as if THAT was gonna happen, Newt thought - "and that's final." The teacher turned on his heels and marched back towards his seat in the front row.

"What a slinthead", Minho said quietly, sinking back into his seat and crumpling the empty bag of chips in his fist. Minho was very creative with words and frequently came up with new vocabulary no one, sometimes not even his best friends, understood.

Alby narrowed his eyes at Gally, who glared back at the trio.

Newt was glad he wouldn't have to clean; he had noticed how he and Thomas were both without partners for putting up their tents and figured they could work together - a thought that made him nervous - and happy. But he didn't say that.

"It won't be so bad", he tried to console his friends, patting their shoulders. "I'll put up the tents while you're at it, and when you've finished, you can just settle in without any further troubles, I promise." 

"What are you, a boy scout?", Minho asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Newt blushed slightly.

"I may have been one, back in Britain. Don't mock me, it's actually kinda cool."

Minho grinned mischievously, but Alby was more loyal.

"I'm kinda glad about that, I gotta say. Means that if we get lost, at least we'll survive in the woods, having a boy scout with us."

He couldn't have known just then how right he would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me a while to update - finals week was a nightmare, but now the winter break's here, so yeah, more time to write!! :)
> 
> Soooo what did you think of Chapter 2? Please let me know in the comments, feedback is always appreciated - and stay tuned for a first bonding moment between Newt and Thomas when they put up their tents together ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this :) Share the Newtmas love <3


	3. Teamwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Thomas put up tents together and they make a great team... A first bonding moment for Newtmas and Teresa turns out to be less of a bitch than expected. Minho is sassy - again. Enjoy :)

A little over hour later, Newt found himself standing over a pile of flysheets and tent poles. They had arrived at a small camping site next to a gigantic forest only a few minutes earlier, and since their teacher had announced that they should put up their tents before lunch, Newt had immediately grabbed the equipment and secured a spot far away from where Mister Schneider was already struggling with two tent poles. The boy was relieved - the tent was familiar, he even owned one exactly like the ones their teacher had brought, and this should be very easy. He bent down to start his work when he heard someone clear his throat. Newt looked up.

It was Thomas.

"Hey", he said, looking a bit lost. "I figured Minho would want to be close to you guys, so do you mind if I put up our tent here?"

Newt rose to his feet and gestured to the free space next to his equipment. "Be my guest", he said. Thomas smiled at him and let his stuff fall to the ground. There were a few seconds of silence in which both boys just stood there awkwardly, staring at each other.

"Do you know how to put up a tent?" Thomas finally asked. "Because I most definitely don't."

"I do", Newt confirmed, causing Thomas to look relieved. Newt loved to watch the worry disappear from this handsome face, making space for optimism.

"Awesome!" Thomas exclaimed, giving him a slightly awkward but still very adorable thumbs-up. "How about you take the lead and I'll help with whatever I can?"

"Good that", Newt confirmed once more and handed Thomas a tent pole. "Hold this while I search for the other main parts."

They worked silently for a few minutes until Thomas started the conversation anew.

"Where did you live, back in England?" he asked, handing Newt a pole, kneeling down next to the other boy.

"Outskirts of London. Why? Have you ever been to England?" Newt asked back, looking up from his hands.

"Twice. My mum really loves it there. So do I. It's just so beautiful - so much history!" Thomas blushed as if admitting to loving historical sights was embarrassing. Newt didn't think so. He thought it was extremely attractive.

"Really? That's brilliant!" He smiled at Thomas.

"You must miss it." Thomas was smiling too, sympathetically.

"I do. But my dad got an offer from a university here and my mum's company operates worldwide so they decided to move here."

"Your dad is a teacher?" The new boy seemed genuinely interested in everything Newt had to say. Their first tent was finished by now, and they moved over to where the parts of the second one were awaiting.

"English literature", Newt answered.

Thomas grinned. "Ooooh your dad's a scholar! So, what, can you quote Shakespeare or something?"

Newt returned the grin. "To be or not to be, that is the question!", he exclaimed, jumping to his feet and throwing out his arms in a dramatic gesture. Thomas was sitting on the grass, laughing. His laughter was deep and melodious, and probably the most beautiful sound in the world. Newt joined in, sitting down next to his new friend.

"So, greenie, now you know that I'm from London and that I am thoroughly bonkers. What about you? Why did you move here?"

Thomas sighed. "My grandma is quite ill, and my parents decided we needed to be closer to her. So did Teresa's. That's why we moved here."

"I'm very sorry", Newt said. Then he was silent for a few seconds. "But what's that got to do with Teresa?"

"She's my cousin, of course. Our mums are sisters."

Newt was stunned. "You are dating your cousin?"

Thomas looked at him, bewildered.

"I - I mean, no judgements, we're all God's children, that's really okay!" Newt hurried to say. Thomas looked at for a few more seconds, then exclaimed: "Dating?"

Newt just looked at him, waiting.

"Eww, dude, I'm not dating Teresa! Gross! Why would you think that?"

Now it was Newt who was bewildered. "I don't know, everyone thinks that!"

Thomas shook his head. "People. For the record - no, I am not dating Teresa. Jeez."

Right then, Newt's stomach growled, really loudly. Thomas giggled. "We should probably finish that tent before you starve, Newt!"

Newt liked the sound of his name uttered by Thomas. He was dazed for a few seconds, but then managed to snap out of it. "Good that."

They finished the second tent in silence, but it was not uncomfortable. Newt guessed that Thomas was thinking about their Teresa-conversation, and so was he. So they were not a couple, they were only related. Did that change anything about the delicate situation Newt was stuck in? He wasn't sure. Suddenly there was no proof that Thomas was into girls - but what were the odds? Newt was glad they got along so well and that Thomas seemed okay with who he really was - the kid from England that liked literature and camping. And that was more than he had thought possible twenty-four hours ago. Just wait and see, he told himself.

"Done!", Thomas exclaimed happily when their second tent was standing - apart from their first one, it was the only finished tent in the whole camping site; their classmates were still struggling with putting up their accommodations. Thomas had noticed that, grinning proudly at Newt. "You are brilliant, Newt! We've finished first, and we even did two!"

He held his hand up. "High five!"

Newt raised his eyebrows quizzically. "High five? Really? Is that still a thing?"

Thomas looked mock-insulted, putting his hands on his hips. "You are not gonna deny your very talented apprentice that little gesture, are you?"

Newt laughed at that. Thomas held his hand up once again, looking at Newt with raised eyebrows. Still laughing, Newt raised his right hand to clap it against Thomas' left. Somehow, though, as their hands touched, neither of them drew back, and as Newt let his hand sink slowly, Thomas' remained in his. The other boy's hand felt incredibly warm, almost uncomfortably hot, as if his skin was on fire. Newt felt his own hand burning in Thomas', knowing he should draw back, but at the same time unable to do so. The butterflies in his stomach were fluttering like crazy, and he could feel himself blush slightly.

For several seconds the two boys were just standing there, looking at their joined hands, then raising their gazes to meet. Thomas' eyes were unreadable; they somehow seemed to be a shade darker than before. His face was flushed as well, and he looked at Newt in a way that he couldn't quite progress but that turned his brain cloudy.

"Tom!", a female voice shot like a bullet into Newt's ears. Thomas turned away from Newt and dropped his hand. The whole episode couldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds, but Newt somehow felt that it would be one of the most important moments of his life.

The blonde turned to see Teresa walk towards them. He had all but forgotten about the girl. Where had she been?

"Tess", Thomas said, sounding less than pleased - a fact that made Newt's heart skip a beat. "What's up with you?"

She reached Thomas, ignoring Newt. "I was supposed to set up my tent next to Mister Schneider's, but I can't do it and neither can he. Would you help? I see you've finished yours in no time."

Thomas gestured towards the other boy. "All thanks to Newt, so if you need help, be a polite girl and ask him."

Newt - once again - blushed slightly. Teresa looked at him in an annoyed way. "The British kid is a boy scout? That is such a cliché."

Thomas crossed his arms. "Tess, I know this whole moving thing is not what you wanted, but stop being such a bitch about it and at least try to make an effort, okay? I am sick of not talking to any of the other guys because you're moping all the time. Did you know they even thought we were dating?"

At that, Teresa looked less annoyed and more appalled. "Dating?! Eww, that is so gross, why would they think that?!" She looked at Newt, shocked this time.

"I guess it's because we're not talking to anyone", Thomas stated simply.

Teresa seemed to ponder that for a few moments, then finally she nodded. "So Newt, handsome guy with the cute British accent, would you help me set up my tent? Please?"

Newt grinned, bowing like a butler. "It would be my pleasure, milady."

...

Half an hour later, Newt was sitting in his tent, unrolling his sleeping bag and unpacking some things he expected he would still need today, enjoying a few quiet minutes to himself. Thomas, or Tom, as his cousin called him, had stayed with Teresa after they had helped her with her tent. The girl was actually really nice when she made an effort. Newt suspected that she had left a lot behind when moving to their city, and he felt sympathetic towards her; he knew what she was going through. Still, he didn't like the sound of 'Tom'. It sounded so short, so hard. 'Thomas' suited the dark-haired boy much better. If Newt had to give him a nickname, it would definitely be 'Tommy', it sounded much nicer and more playful, just like the boy it was describing.

Newt was lost in thoughts when suddenly, Minho came bursting into the tent, yelling "AAAAAH!!!!" and almost giving its occupant a heart-attack, causing him to yell as well. Minho burst into laughter while Newt was screaming at him: "You arse! What's wrong with you, you utter, utter bastard??"

Minho continued to laugh while falling onto the floor and holding his stomach. Tears were dampening his cheeks. Newt was still furious although he had to admit that the whole thing was actually pretty funny. "Slinthead", he murmured, grinning slightly. Minho was still giggling when he sat up. "Hey, you're using my creation! It's gonna be a thing!"

"No, it's not."

"Oh, sure it is. Now don't be mad, it was just a joke."

Newt pulled a face, but couldn't keep it up for long - he just wasn't the type who stayed mad at people he loved. "Where's Alby?"

"He'll be here soon", Minho answered, looking around. "Good job you did there, dude. Did you do it alone?"

"Thomas helped." Newt paused for a moment. "He and Teresa are not dating."

Minho turned back to his friend so quickly he almost lost his balance. "Really? How do you know??"

Newt rolled his eyes. "I used my words, duh."

Minho's wide-eyed stare turned into a wicked grin. "Flirt with him, did you?"

Newt threw a pair of socks at him. "Don't be silly, mate, just for once, act like you're older than eleven!"

Minho was about to say something when Alby came crawling into the tent, making their temporary accommodation fairly crowded. "I will NEVER forgive Mister Schneider for this!"

"Oh, yeah, right, how was cleaning with Gally?", Newt asked, now remembering where his friends had been while he had been putting up tents with Thomas.

Alby looked at Minho, surprised. "You haven't complained yet? Are you ill?" He reached out his hand to touch Minho's forehead, but the other boy just shook it off.

"He might have been too busy marvelling at the fact that Teresa is not Thomas' girlfriend", Newt smirked.

"She's not???" Alby exclaimed, turning his head to stare at Newt. "How do you know?"

Newt groaned. "I bloody talked to him, how else would I know? You guys should really learn to communicate properly."

Minho grinned his mischievous grin again. "Newton and Thomas sitting in a tree..." he sang horribly off-tune.

Newt reached for another pair of socks. "I am warning you, Minho, if you don't stop THIS very moment, I am going to suffocate you with my socks, and it will be gruesome."

Minho kept his grin, but stopped singing.

"Good boy. So, cleaning with Gally. What happened?"

Alby sighed. "He was constantly complaining and talking shit, as always. Throwing chips onto seats we had just cleaned. Refusing to work properly. Of course -" he grinned, "Minho made him."

At that, Minho raised his arms, which were extremely buff, giving him more than ever the look of a body builder.

"Still, I think that if I ever have to hear his bullshit again, I am gonna start punching him. Let's just stay away from him, for peace's sake, alright?" Alby looked from Minho to Newt.

Minho sighed. "I'll behave if he will."

At that moment, a little boy from their class, Chuck, looked inside their tent. "Guys, lunchtime!", he called, making all three of them jump.

"Thanks, Chuck", Newt said hurriedly before Minho could insult the chubby kid for startling them. As Chuck disappeared, Newt began to crawl out of the tent. 

"Let's go, guys. I'm starving!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys, I hope you enjoyed it - I particularly loved writing this chapter!   
> Feedback is highly appreciated!  
> Loads of fangirl love! xx


	4. First Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teresa and Newt become friends, but Thomas doesn't seem too keen on it - why? A bit less Minho but another Newtmas moment... Enjoy :)

After they'd eaten their lunch - sandwiches - silently (they were all too starved to have real conversations), their teacher assembled them at the edge of the forest.  
"As you all know" (actually they didn't, because nobody could remember what was planned for the week) "we will stay here for one night before really starting to explore the woods. Tomorrow, we'll hike several miles into the forest and we'll also stay in there for two nights, so make sure you all shower tonight or tomorrow morning. We'll have to bring our tents and food as no car will be able to reach us. We will spend today's afternoon getting familiar with the different kinds of plants so you will be able to recognise them and complete the assignments you'll be given more easily. We'll return to this very camping site on Thursday, and then you'll be able to take a little rest. On Friday, we'll collect our findings and we will leave Saturday morning. I hope each pair has at least one of the books on botany you were supposed to bring -" Alby looked at Newt in a shocked way, but Newt was able to reassure him with a tiny smile; of course he'd though of it "- because what we'll do now..." He babbled on, explaining how they were supposed to grab one worksheet per team and look for certain plants along the outskirts of the forest. "The lady can join whomever she chooses to" Schneider concluded, causing several of the guys to make silly comments and Teresa to roll her eyes. Newt could see that she really wanted to work with Thomas, but that she really didn't want to be in a team with Minho. As soon as the class scattered into pairs, she moved away from Thomas. To his great surprise, she approached Newt.

"Can I go with you two?" she murmured, looking uncomfortable.

"Sure," Newt said, being actually quite thrilled to be able to bond a bit more with Thomas' cousin. He pointed at his friend, who smiled awkwardly. "Have you met Alby?"

"Not while knowing his name. Hi Alby," she said, seeming almost conversational.

"Hi," Alby said simply, still smiling, and made to pick up their worksheet. Newt was glad he didn't try any stupid lines in her right then - that was Minho's job. As if called for, said boy came strolling over towards them.

"Don't you want to work with us, pretty lady?" he said, grinning his toothy grin.

Teresa turned to face him, trying her best to not look annoyed. "Actually, no, I don't, thank you. If I gotta do this, I wanna have dibs on the boy scout."

"That's too bad", Minho said, "good luck with the boy scout, then." He winked and went back to Thomas, who was already skimming through his book, looking for a plant.

Teresa turned back to Newt. "What's up with him, anyway?"

Newt smiled apologetically. "I think he hasn't been around too many girls in his life. None of them have."

She studied him quizzically. "You seem alright, though."

Newt started to walk along the edge of the forest where Alby was already looking for the first plant. "I have a sister. Plus, I'm gay." It still felt daring to casually mention his sexuality in a conversation with people he didn't know properly, but then again, he could never resist seeing the dumb look on people's faces. He now turned to watch Teresa. She looked surprised, but not very.

"Oh," she simply said. She was silent for a bit. "Then you're totally gonna be my new best friend in this group!" And she smiled at him, a real, sweet smile that Newt couldn't resist reacting to with anything else but a smile of his own.

"Come on, Newt," she said, "let's do this stupid assignment!"

...

Even though it took them hours to find all the plats they were supposed to find, Newt enjoyed working together with Alby and Teresa. Alby was a bit awkward in the beginning, but Teresa pretended not to notice and he soon was himself again, joking with Newt and also including Teresa in their conversation. The girl was still a bit reserved, but she turned out to be incredibly precise in identifying plants, always double-checking with the book and working accurately without being annoying. Newt was glad to have her in their team.

She never talked about the move or personal things, but she did like to talk about Thomas, dodging any personal question Alby might pose by mentioning her cousin, and Newt liked to listen to those anecdotes. After four hours of gathering plants, he knew a lot more about the boy; that Thomas was an athlete, the best runner at his former school; he loved reading, especially non-fiction, books about history and physics; he contemplated becoming a doctor after graduation; he was a movie buff. Teresa asked Newt a few questions about London, outing herself as a huge fan of anything British and asking him about his favourite West End shows, even daring him to sing the beginning of The Lion King, which he tried, but failed spectacularly, causing his team mates to almost die of laughter.

The afternoon went by, and the sun was almost setting when they the camping site as one of the last teams. Minho and Thomas were already waiting for them close to the spot where they were supposed to hand their findings over to Mister Schneider, animatedly talking about sports. The three new arrivals walked over to them.

"What took you so long? Did you get lost?" Minho called out as Newt, Teresa and Alby approached them.

"Turns out it's not the boy scout who wants to double-check everything, it's the lady," Newt said, grinning. Teresa elbowed him amicably. "It wasn't me who scared the plants off with my singing!" She grinned at Alby, who grinned back.

"You can't actually scare plants off, Tess!" Newt protested. The nickname came out of his mouth without him wanting it, but the girl didn't seem to mind; Thomas, however, looked at Newt with curiosity. 'He's probably thinking I'm hitting on her', Newt thought to himself. Minho made an impatient gesture with his hand.

"Yes, yes, you all had a brilliant time, we get it. Come on, guys, get ready for dinner, we'll have a campfire, and I want a decent spot!"

...

Twenty minutes later, they had all changed into warm sweaters to fight off the evening chill that was coming along rather quickly; it was still September, but summer was definitely reaching its end. A few of those who had arrived early had prepared sticks, and the class was now sitting around two separate campfires (with Gally luckily having chosen the other one to annoy people with his presence), grilling sausages and marshmallows over the flames. There was hardly any wind, so the smoke rose straight upwards, not annoying them as they sat close to the fire, enjoying the warmth and their dinner.

Newt was sitting next to Thomas, who seemed quieter than he was this morning. None of them talked too much until their first sausage was eaten hungrily.

"So, Newt," Alby asked after he'd placed another sausage on his stick, "is that what it's like to be a boy scout? Because I must say - this is pretty awesome!"

"Kind of, yeah", Newt agreed. He had missed campfires, and he was enjoying himself very much. The fact that his crossed legs touched Thomas' knee whenever he moved made him feel goofy, but in a good way. "The only thing that's missing is a guitar and some 'Auld Long Syne'".

"Please don't, Newt!" Teresa cried at that, making everyone laugh.

"She likes you a lot", Thomas said quietly to Newt as the others started conversations among themselves; Teresa had avoided Minho by letting Chuck sit down between them; a fact that Minho did not appreciate.

Newt looked at him, surprised. "That's good, right?"

Thomas shrugged. "She had her heart broken pretty badly a few weeks ago. When she left her hometown, she had to leave her boyfriend, Aris, behind. They tried long distance - actually, she tried, he didn't. He started screwing her best friend as soon as she was out of sight. One day, she wanted to surprise him, drove all the way home. Caught them together. She was devastated."

Thomas stared into the fire; apparently, his story was over. 

"Why are you telling me this?", Newt asked quietly.

Thomas looked up at him. "Because I don't want her to be hurt again."

Newt raised his eyebrows at Thomas, holding his gaze for a few seconds before saying "Mate, I don't do girls. At all."

Thomas stared back, blushing, then averted his gaze back to the fire. "I - I wasn't sure, I just assumed..." He trailed off.

"Well, you assumed wrongly. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Newt rose to his feet, suddenly furious. He quickly walked away from the fire, heading for their tent.

How could Thomas assume that he was after Teresa, of all people? How could he assume that he would break her heart? Newt had been so sure he'd felt their connection this morning, that Thomas had felt it too - how could he now say something like that?

Newt stopped in front of his tent, not really wanting to go in. He had been so comfortable back at the campfire that now, alone, he felt isolated.

He heard quick steps approaching, someone panting. He turned around to see Thomas running towards him, almost tripping over strings that were meant to keep the tents in place in the dark. He came to a halt in front of Newt. The brunette boy looked at him, his eyes worried.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that. I know you're a good guy and just trying to help Teresa feel comfortable here. I really appreciate that. I'm sorry I assumed you had ulterior motives when I actually know..." He paused for a moment. "I know you're a good guy. And I really like you." Thomas paused again. "Friends again?" He held out his hand.

A moment passed while the two boys just looked at each other. Then Newt reached out to accept the apology by shaking hands. As they touched, he again felt the now familiar burn of Thomas' skin, and he was sure from the way the other boy looked at him that he could feel it too. He felt Thomas' thumb draw little circles on the back of his hand, a tiny gesture of tenderness, giving him goose bumps. The moment seemed to last forever, Newt loosing himself in Thomas' eyes, not really knowing what to do next. Suddenly, as if he had snapped out of a daze, Thomas smiled and pulled Newt along on the hand he was still holding. "Come on, I bet the marshmallow I had Teresa grill to apologize to you will be burned by now!"

Before they stepped into the firelight, Thomas let go of Newt's hand, and they settled on their former spot in the grass among their friends.

For the rest of the night, Thomas was extremely friendly towards Newt, obviously trying to make up for his earlier behaviour. Newt was not sure how to behave, constantly thinking about holding the other boy's hand, Thomas' finger stroking him. What was the meaning of this?

Newt looked at Thomas' handsome profile in the glow of the fire. As if feeling his gaze, Thomas turned to him and smiled. Was he flirting?, Newt asked himself. As hard as he tried to figure it out, hours later, when he was lying next to a snoring Alby, Newt was still trying to make sense of Thomas' behaviour. 

The only thing he knew for sure was that his crush on Thomas was getting bigger by the hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it - I know that there isn't too much action but this chapter was needed set up the next one!  
> Feedback is always appreciated!  
> Stay tuned because someone's about to get lost in the next chapter... ;)  
> Loads of love, khaleesivero


	5. The Hike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt meets a naked Thomas in the shower, the class goes on a hike and due to a little joke on Chuck's side, our favourite characters end up stuck in the woods for the night. Enjoy!

"Wake up, guys!"

Newt groaned at the noise and sat up groggily, cold air sweeping through the opening into the tent. It was once again Chuck who had appeared to get them, and Newt was wondering whether he'd play the human alarm clock for the rest of the week. He would have to think of something to prevent any escalation between the chubby kid and Minho, who hated having to be anywhere on time.

"Get your head out of my tent!" he heard his friend shout this very moment. Newt groaned again and let himself fall back onto his sleeping bag. This would be a very long day.

How right he was.

After shaking Alby awake (it took more than a simple yelled sentence to wake up this guy), Newt gathered his toiletries, towels and some clothes and made for the showers. He figured that the earlier he went, the more warm water he would have - and the more privacy.

The showers were inside a bungalow at the edge of the camping site, and even though they reminded Newt of a public swimming pool, they were clean, and the water was hot, and he enjoyed a few moments of absolute solitude; he had been right about his timing - nobody was here yet. He washed his hair and enjoyed the clean smell of his shower gel before turning the water off and towelling off. He sighed happily - his night had been restless; the question of Thomas' feelings towards him had kept him awake just as much as Alby's snoring. He would have to use earplugs the following night.

With a towel around his hips, his hair still damp, Newt tiptoed out of the shower and towards the bench where he'd put his clothes, almost slipping on the wet tiles when he saw that someone else was in the room.

Thomas.

And he was naked.

For a moment, Newt thought that he was still dreaming. Thomas was standing there, with nothing but a towel casually draped about his forearm, so that, as he bent down to pick up a bottle of shampoo, Newt didn't actually see anything juicy, but the sight of Thomas' abs alone would be enough to keep anyone awake at night. Teresa had been right; Thomas was an athlete, and Newt couldn't stop himself from looking at the muscular body, admiring him. Thomas was a real hunk.

By the time Thomas caught his eye, Newt was (luckily) already composed enough to great him with a casual "Morning!".

"Morning", Thomas answered. "You're up early."

"Yeah, didn't sleep too well. Alby kinda snores, as I bet you heard."

"I didn't, but only because Minho snores as well." He let out a quiet chuckle that Newt found incredibly sexy. "Maybe we chose the wrong person to share a tent with."

He let his gaze linger on Newt's body. Newt blushed a tiny bit; not because he felt self-conscious - he might not have been as muscular as Thomas, but he was still in a good shape - but because he was sure that Thomas was flirting with him, and he didn't know how to go about the topic without making a complete idiot of himself.

"Maybe", he said nonchalantly, starting to towel off his hair because he needed to do something with his hands, and even though running them over Thomas' chest would have been his first choice, getting ready for breakfast seemed like a good idea.

"Alright, I'm gonna go hit the showers", Thomas said. The blonde let out a non-committal sound as an answer. The other boy shrugged slightly and made his way towards one of the shower cubicles, giving Newt a perfect view of his butt. Said boy felt his eyes grow wide as he looked at Thomas' beautiful backside, trying to push away thoughts of hugging the boy from behind and feeling his muscles beneath his hands.

At this very moment, Gally entered. 

"What are you doing, Newt, watching other boys shower? Because if that's the case, I'm gonna leave right now."

Newt rolled his eyes in annoyance. Luckily, Thomas didn't stay to engaged in the conversation but shutting the cubicle door behind him.

"Me? Drooling over you? Only in your wildest dreams, Gally."

Gally looked angry. "I'm not gay, you idiot!"

Newt sneered. "Really? Well, good for all the gay men in the world!"

Gally shook his head but apparently didn't have any comeback at that. Newt quickly dressed himself and went back to his tent to make sure Alby hadn't gone back to sleep.

...

Newt quickly packed his things and threw Alby out of their tent so he could pack it up. When their temporary accommodation had gone back to a few flysheets and tent poles in a tiny bag, he sent Alby to take a shower and promised to keep him a few sandwiches. Not sure if he should wait around for Thomas and Minho to see if they needed help with their tent, he went over to the remains of last night's campfire where there teacher had set up a table with breakfast - coffee, sandwiches and doughnuts - and where Teresa was greeting him with a yawn. The two of them picked up enough to eat for themselves as well as for Alby, Minho and Thomas and went back to where Newt's tent had been standing just minutes earlier. They sat on the ground, waiting for the others, sipping their coffee in silence until Tess broke it.

"Did you and Tom fight last night?" She sounded only mildly interested, but her tone didn't fool Newt. He shrugged.

"It was nothing. He thought I was hitting on you."

"You're noooooot?" Teresa looked astonished, then she grinned before being serious once more. "Tom can be very protective of me. But I guess he just wanted to see for himself."

Newt stopped chewing on his doughnut. "See what?"

Teresa returned his glance. "Well, if you're gay, of course."

"Why would that be of interest to him?" the blonde asked, perplexed. 

"Because he's gay, too? Duh!" Tess rolled her eyes at her new friend. "And because you really are cute, British accent an all, that's totally his thing."

Newt blushed. "I can't believe we're having this conversation!"

Teresa reached for another doughnut. "Whatever. You do what you think is right. Just thought I'd tell you in case Tom is messing up again. I think you guys look really cute together." She winked at him.

Just then, Thomas and Minho came into sight, and when they saw that Newt and Teresa were waiting with breakfast, it only took them seconds to come over and sit beside their friends. Teresa excused herself saying she hadn't packed yet. Minho followed her movements with a sad gaze until she had disappeared before turning to Newt. "Dude, I think she doesn't like you. She's always running from you. Either that or your influence has made her a lesbian and now she's miraculously able the resist Dashing Minho."

Newt almost suffocated on a bite of sandwich because he was laughing so hard. Thomas reached over to pat his back. It was a casual gesture, but Newt's head was still buzzing with what Teresa had said - "Because he's gay too?!" - and he felt awkward.

When he was able to breathe again, he looked at Minho with a huge grin. "I think you're the one scaring her away, mate", he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "You can be really obvious around girls."

Minho shrugged. "It's not my fault she's really hot." He quickly turned to Thomas. "No offence."

Thomas made a dismissive gesture with the hand not holding a coffee cup. "That's okay. Runs in the family." And he winked at Newt.

Minho didn't seem to notice Newt's face exploding in colour but hit Thomas on the shoulder in what was probably meant as an appreciative gesture but surely hurt. "I like you, kiddo. Now, can I have that last doughnut? I'm sure Alby won't like it anyway!"

...

The rest of the morning was a blur of getting ready, and soon enough, everyone was marching into the woods after the biology teacher. The mood was quiet, but not unpleasant; many of the students were still tired and thus not talkative. Newt was really glad this was the case; he really had some thinking to do concerning the information Teresa had revealed earlier.

Thomas was gay!!

Knowing now what he had hoped to be true all along was lifting Newt's spirits immensely; but at the same time, he was overwhelmed. What was he supposed to do now? Should he make a move on Thomas? Should he wait? Tess had said something about Tom screwing up - was he too shy to approach people he liked? Newt had already thought the new kid to be reluctant in his behaviour towards others - but what if he didn't like Newt that way? But then again, why would Tess have said something if he didn't? And what was the whole shower incident about? And the thing about holding hands? Newt's head was spinning with confusion, and thinking didn't really make it better. He finally decided to stay calm and keep his eyes open for opportunities - he could always confide in Teresa if he needed advice.

The morning passed quickly while the group got livelier and chattier, having fun and making jokes while walking. The air was pleasant, not too warm, and it was sunny, the light having a slightly green shade as it fell through the branches. Newt was walking beside Minho most of the time, and even though they were quick walkers, they kept to the back, avoiding the teacher. Alby, Teresa and Thomas fell into step with them some time, and Newt was relieved that it was not awkward being around Thomas, but that he liked it a lot. He loved being close to the brunette, watching his laughter and his body language when he talked. Thomas was not just good looking and nice when talking one on one, but he was also fun in a group of people. Newt caught himself thinking how easy it would be with his best friends and Thomas if they ever should start dating. And that thought made him very happy.

When it was time for their lunch break, everyone put down their backpacks to grab some more sandwiches. The teacher had distributed the food for the next two days in the morning, as they had no opportunity to have it delivered to them; Alby had been carrying the food while Newt had been taking care of the tent and their sleeping bags.

The five of them sat together on the dry ground eating and laughing when their teacher made an announcement.

"We will begin the first assignment after lunch. I am going to divide you into groups - rather large groups, as I don't want pairs getting lost - and we will meet at a little shack two miles south from here at nightfall. Stay together and be save!"

The kids started chatting again. Minho groaned.

"I hope our group is large enough. I really don't want anyone intruding."

That was when their teacher came over with Chuck and Gally.

"Those two will be working with you, then we have three groups of seven people", Mister Schneider announced, adjusting his glasses. "I know how you boys feel about each other, Minho, Gally, but maybe you could try and work together just this once."

The teacher left. Chuck let himself fall next to Newt, smiling. "Hi Guys!"

Newt smiled back, as did Thomas, Teresa and Alby. "Hi Chuck, I don't think we've ever spoken", Teresa said, being nicer than ever. Newt and Thomas exchanged a glance, eyebrows raised. Chuck beamed at the pretty girl.

Minho wasn't paying attention. He was staring up at Gally, who was still standing, staring back, arms crossed. Newt tried to catch Teresa's eye. 'Do something', he mouthed. Luckily, she seemed to get it. 

Jumping up, Teresa extended her hand to Gally. "Gally, right? Hi, I'm Teresa. How about we go pick up that worksheet?" And she dragged Gally away from his staring contest.

Newt exhaled, reaching over to touch Minho's arm. "Dude, just keep calm. It's only for one afternoon, after all!" Minho didn't respond but got up to pack up his and Thomas' food.

Thomas leaned over to Newt. "Let's not leave him out of our sight, alright?"

Newt nodded. "Let's not."

...

The first two hours of their working together actually worked out just fine. Their task was once again to find plants, but also to take pictures of certain trees and pick up some of their leaves. Teresa had divided them into groups so that they would be done more quickly - she volunteered to go look for plants with Gally and Chuck. With Gally out of sight, Minho soon became his old self again, joking along with the others and being more funny than helpful. None of the other groups were in sight. The weather seemed to turn for the worse; the sun hid behind clouds that looked like rain. Luckily, Thomas and Alby were diligent enough so that they had found most of the trees and taken pictures of them in the fading afternoon light when the other group came back.

It happened so quick Newt didn't actually have time to think. He was trying to get a leave off one of those trees he had never heard about (who the bloody hell knew what a yew tree looked like?!) when Chuck came jumping out from behind the tree, yelling "We're back!"

Newt jumped back, lost his balance, and, doing a somersault, tumbled down several metres of slopy forest ground before landing hard on his back.

"Ow", he muttered.

Thomas, Teresa, Minho and Alby were instantly at his sides. "Are you okay?", Thomas asked.

"That looked pretty much as if you were practicing your gymnastics moves", Minho offered helpfully.

Newt groaned and sat up slowly. He immediately noticed that something was off. His left ankle hurt like crazy, and his foot seemed bent awkwardly. Looking at his friends, he stupidly said: "Guys, I think I'm hurt." 

No one said anything for half a minute until Minho made everyone jump by yelling.

"Chuck, you slinthead, what have you done?!" He seemed truly angry.

Newt touched his arm once more, feeling like a social worker. "It's alright, mate, for all we know I would have slipped on that bloody slope anyway." He looked up at Chuck, who was standing there, mouth wide open in shock. "Don't worry, Chuck, I'll be fine."

But that wasn't true. As Alby and Minho helped Newt to his feet, he could barely stand alone, and each step gave him so much pain he had to stifle a groan. After just a few metres, his face was sweaty with effort. "I can't do it", he whined as his friends let him sit back on the forest ground. The others were standing over him, their arms crossed, looking clueless.

"Guys?" That was Chuck. Everyone looked at him.

"Not trying to scare you or anything, but... Does anyone know where south is in this gloom? Because even if we carried Newt all the way - which way is south?"

They all looked at each other, alarmed. They hadn't been paying attention to their surroundings. It was getting dark rather quickly with the heavy rain clouds still hanging above them, and they had no chance of seeing the sun through the trees. Even Newt, the boy scout, didn't know the answer.

"Who's got the compass?", Gally, who had been quiet for a long time, standing further away from the others, asked.

"I do", Newt said, groaning as he moved to pull the small device out of his back pocket. It was smashed, probably from his accident. "It won't be of use to us, though", he announced, holding it up.

"Does anyone have a signal?" Thomas asked, pulling out his phone. The others did the same, shaking their heads. "Nothing", Teresa said. "Crap."

They all looked at each other, at a loss for words. Their eyes communicated what they knew to be true - that they were lost, without any possibility of making it to the venue before dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now they are finally lost in the woods! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, already working on the next one as I think we really need a Newtmas kiss, and SOON :)  
> Thanks for reading xxx


	6. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes are lost and try to make the best of their situation - Newt wants to make camp, Minho wants to get drunk. And "in vino veritas", they say... What will drunk Thomas and drunk Newt do? Enjoy!

Once the horrible truth had sunk in, they all gathered around Newt, sitting down; even Gally and Minho, sitting next to each other, were too caught up to fight.

"So - what now?" Alby asked, his gaze lingering on the ever-darkening sky.

"Okay, here's the plan", Newt said when everyone remained silent. He tried to sound very optimistic - things could have been worse. "We have food, we have tents; I suggest we make a fire and set up camp while it's still bright enough, and then we stay here for the night. Tomorrow when the sun's out again, I can navigate us to the shack."

"We could do that now if you hadn't broken that stupid compass", Gally growled.

Minho wouldn't let that count. "If we walked through the darkness, I guess more of us would break bones. If you want to blame someone, blame our friend Chuck here." Minho glared over at the kid, who looked sick with guilt.

Thomas raised his hands in a soothing gesture. "Woah, guys, nobody's to blame here. Chuck made a joke, and Newt fell, that could have happened to any of us. Newt's right, we should set up camp - we have everything we need." He looked over at Teresa for affirmation, and his cousin once more took charge. "Alright, let's do this. Minho, Alby, you guys go get some wood for a fire. Chuck, you prepare a place to light it - dig a hole and find some stones or something to make a circle. Thomas and I will set up the tents, Newt can give us instructions if we need them." She looked at Gally, not sure what commands to give him.

"I can take care of Newt's foot", he said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. When the others stared, he looked at them by turns. "What?" he demanded. "I know about first aid and stuff!"

Teresa smiled. "That's settled, then. Grab your torches and let's go!"

Alby, Minho and Chuck disappeared between the trees while Thomas and Teresa started setting up the first tent. They didn't really need any help; Thomas had some practise by now. Gally handed Newt a torch so the injured boy could illuminate his own foot while the other one began his work. He untied Newt's shoelaces and took off his left hiking boot so gingerly the blonde didn't feel much pain. Gally then rolled the sock off Newt's foot, and the injured boy stifled a moan. Even Newt knew that his foot didn't look too good; it was swollen and purple, and hot to the touch. Gally felt it lightly.

"Nothing's broken, as far as I can tell", he said. "Probably some ligament or physis injury. I have an ointment I can put on it, and then I'll bandage your foot."

"Good that", Newt agreed with gritted teeth. "Where did you learn all that?"

Gally searched his backpack for the ointment. "My dad's a doctor, my mum's a nurse." He shrugged. "Guess I just think medicine is quite fascinating."

"It is", Thomas suddenly said; Newt had not noticed him coming over. The first tent was ready, and Teresa was unpacking the second one. Thomas knelt next to Gally, looking at Newt's foot, touching it gingerly. Newt shivered involuntarily. "You thinking about going to med school, too?" Thomas asked Gally.

"Yeah", the other boy answered, looking up at Thomas with something like curiosity. "You too? That's cool."

"You can always talk about that later, Tom, come here and help me!", Teresa yelled. Thomas shot a tiny smile at Newt before obliging his cousin. Gally finished treating Newt's foot in silence, finally rolling his sock back over the bandaged foot. "That's the best I can do for now", Gally announced when he had finished.

Newt smiled at the other boy. "Thanks, Gally. Truly. I owe you." 

Gally looked away. "Whatever. No big deal." But Newt could tell he was suppressing a smile.

As soon as the three tents they had were put up, Gally and Thomas helped Newt over to where the fire was supposed to be (the blonde felt electrical currents run through his back where Thomas' arm supported him); Newt knew how to set up a save fire pit, and once Alby, Chuck and Minho had come back with the wood, he started working. A little later, the fire was burning, creating a still weak light in the dusk. Darkness was settling quickly now under the thick trees, and while his friends were busy putting backpacks into tents and searching through them for food, Newt shivered in the evening chill. The pain stopped him from moving closer to the fire; he groaned as he tried it.

"Are you cold?"

Thomas was suddenly sitting next to him, Newt's jacket in his hand, and put it over the boy's shoulders.

"Thanks, mate", Newt smiled at the other boy, slipping his arms into the sleeves. "Good thinking."

Thomas looked at the fire before he turned his gaze back to the other boy. "How's your foot?"

"It's okay", Newt answered a bit too quickly. Thomas raised his eyebrows. "You don't have to pretend with me, you know." His voice was gentle, velvety. Newt held his gaze for a few moments before he broke into a shy smile. "Bloody hurts."

Thomas didn't answer, but put his hand lightly onto Newt's, with which he was supporting himself on the ground. They both looked at their hands between them before raising their heads to share an intense look. "Newt, I..." Thomas started to say, making Newt's heart flutter like a hummingbird, when Teresa suddenly yelled. "Over my dead body!"

The two boys looked over to the tents; still, Thomas' hand remained on Newt's, making it unable for the blonde's heart to find its usual steady beat. 

Teresa and Minho were standing in front of the tents, apparently fighting. The petite girl had put her hands on her hips, looking furious. "What's wrong, Tess?", Thomas called over. She turned around to face him.

"What's wrong?! I am definitely not staying in the same tent as Minho, and that's final!"

The problem only now occurred to Newt. Seven people, three tents; Teresa would have to spend the night in a tent with some of the six boys of whom four surely fancied her, Minho being the most obvious among them.

"How about you share a tent with me, Tess?" Newt asked - surely that would solve the problem.

"What about Alby, then?" She replied. "Could he stay with Tom and Minho?"

Thomas shook his head. "Alby, Minho and I are all pretty huge. I don't think three guys of our build would fit into one of those tents."

Teresa seemed to ponder that answer before saying: "How about Alby and Minho share one tent and I stay with you and Newt? I guess that would be okay, I'm quite tiny."

Alby nodded. Minho looked disappointed, but for once didn't seem to have a quick-witted answer ready.

Thomas turned around to look at Newt. "Would that be okay for you?" he asked, squeezing the hand he was still touching. "Y-yeah", Newt answered, managing to stutter on a single word and cursing himself for it.

"Brilliant!", Teresa exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Minho - get your stuff out of our tent!"

After the sleeping arrangements had been made, the group sat around the fire, eating their dinner. They had fruit and sandwiches, and as it was still not raining and the fire emitted enough warmth to make them comfy, the mood among the teens lifted. Their spirits were raised even more when Minho disappeared into his tent before returning with several bottles, announcing: "We might as well get totally drunk!"

Alby and Teresa cheered, and both of them reached out to take bottles from their friend. Thomas, who was sitting next to Newt, received one as well. He opened it and drank without hesitation, but coughed after swallowing. "Dude, that's like two parts vodka, one part juice!"

Minho grinned. "Exactly."

Thomas offered the bottle to Newt, who accepted it. He wasn't too keen on the alcohol, but he didn't want to be a spoilsport. Plus, they really had nothing better to do - and if drinking made his pain go away, that was a plus. 

The drink was strong, but not unpleasant. Newt took a few sips and managed not to cough before handing the bottle back to Thomas.

"That just looked really badass", the brunette commented. Newt laughed. "What?"

Thomas shrugged. "Dunno. Whatever." He blushed.

"You look cute when you blush", Newt said without thinking. "And I did not just say that out loud. Bloody hell, I must be drunk already." His face reddened as well, and now it was Thomas' turn to laugh. "You are adorable, Newton", he stated simply, smiling at him. Right then, Minho was beginning to tell a joke, and both of them looked over at their friend, awfully confused about what they'd just said.

An hour later, everyone was drunk. They were laughing out loud about silly jokes, passing the remaining bottles between them. It was pitch black around them, and the woods were silent; their din was probably enough to scare off all animals within a half-mile radius. Chuck turned out to be almost as sassy as Minho when drunk, and especially Teresa guffawed at his comments. Even though they were both intoxicated, Gally and Minho handled each other's company very well. 

Newt was very content; he was thoroughly buzzed so he didn't feel the pain in his ankle anymore, and he was enjoying himself a lot. In a moment of courage, he had put a hand on Thomas' knee, who had grinned back at him. No one seemed to notice how Thomas' hand was slowly caressing the small of Newt's back, giving the blonde goose bumps all over. It felt amazing to be touched by Thomas; he took the caresses as proof for the other boy's interest in him, and even though he didn't know how the night would turn out, he was excited to sleep next to the brunette.

Gally was the first one to suggest going to sleep; the booze was gone, and it was starting to get too cold to comfortably sit outside. Chuck and Alby agreed with them, and Teresa, who seemed keen to avoid being in the company of Minho, stood up as well. "Newt, will you put out the fire?" she asked. The blonde nodded. "Sure."

When the girl had disappeared into her tent, Thomas turned to Minho. "You can go to sleep as well, dude. I'll take Newt to our tent. I can manage." Minho looked at them for a few seconds, then said: "Don't be too loud!" and winked before turning around and entering his tent.

He hadn't been gone longer than five seconds when Newt found himself in Thomas' embrace, his lips pressed to the brunette's. The blonde was stunned at first, but then eagerly returned the kiss. Even though he had drunk quite a lot, Newt knew that the dizziness, the light-headedness, the heat he felt was not caused by the vodka. It was a hungry, messy, drunk kiss, their tongues dancing rapidly, and when Newt bit Thomas' lower lip, the boy moaned. He was suddenly on top of Newt, and the blonde was sure that his touches had to leave scorch marks, because wherever their skin touched, he felt a burning sensation. Thomas was kissing along Newt's jawline, down his throat and up to his ear, eliciting tiny moans from the blonde. He stopped to whisper into his ear. "You are so sexy, Newt." His voice was rough, breathless. "I've been waiting so long for this." They kissed once again, more passionate than ever. Newt's hands were in Thomas' hair, and it was only when he attempted to turn them over that the sharp pain in his ankle made him cry out in pain. 

Thomas looked at him, his eyes suddenly almost sober and wide with concern. 'He looks like a bloody puppy with these huge eyes', the blonde thought. "Is it your foot?" Thomas whispered. Instead of answering, Newt groaned; half in passion, half in pain. The brunette was still on top of him, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. "Come on, let's get you to bed. That was probably enough action for the injured boy." He tumbled off Newt, the fact that he was still fairly intoxicated showing through his uncontrolled movements. Newt immediately missed the other boy's warmth against his body. Thomas kneeled next to him and expertly put the fire out. Then he handed Newt a flashlight and let him put his arm around his shoulder. Together they rose, swaying from the alcohol and Newt's weight. Slowly, they made their way over to their tent, the flashlight being their only source of light. Thomas let Newt sit down before the tent and opened the zipper before stepping back so the blonde could crawl into their temporary accommodation. Newt stifled groans of pain and managed to get to his sleeping bag on the left side of the tent. Teresa was lying on the right side, probably pretending to be asleep. Thomas climbed in after Newt before taking off his shoes and gingerly helping Newt with his left one. Thomas closed the zipper behind them.

"Lie down", he whispered, "I'll help you with the bag."

Newt did as he was told, his head spinning softly from the vodka. Thomas put the flashlight onto the tent floor and helped Newt to get into his sleeping bag. "It's too bad you're not taking any of those clothes off", he whispered, winking at the blonde.

Newt grinned, the alcohol still making him courageous. "Some other time, Tommy. When it's obvious that it's you who makes me moan, not the pain."

Thomas got into his own sleeping bag. "Tommy sounds really sweet. When you say it, at least."

He leaned over to kiss Newt once again. Newt couldn't tell how long it lasted, but it was wonderful, and it was the last thing he remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So - there we have it, they kissed! But will it be awkward when they wake up...? We'll see ;)  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments, constructive criticism is always appreciated :)  
> xx


	7. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newtmas wake up, all cuddly - and awkward. Can they work it out? Also - more Minho, since you guys like him so much ;)

Newt woke to the dim light of the tent, and his first thought, curiously, was how he had woken up before Chuck had had the chance to wake them. He moved slightly, and there was a sudden pang of pain behind his forehead. He groaned and tried to turn, but he couldn't. Someone was holding him in place.

Oh-oh.

The blonde boy braced himself for another wave of nausea, then lifted his head slightly. He was lying on his stomach, his left arm under him, functioning as pillow. He was facing Thomas, who was fast asleep. It was the brunette's buff arm that prevented him from turning - and the fact that his own right arm was stuck inside Thomas's sleeping bag.

Newt squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip to prevent himself from groaning. He had no idea what had happened after Thomas had kissed him in the tent last night. Had he fallen asleep? Had they cuddled? Had they...? Once more, Newt bit his lip to shut himself up. That was not how he had imagined things to be. Nothing romantic about a drunken hook-up, if it had even happened, who knew? And had he really said " When it's obvious that it's you who makes me moan, not the pain"?! That was so lame it almost hurt him physically. He opened one eye to glance over at Thomas. The sight of the sleeping boy lifted his spirits; with his slightly parted lips and his tousled brown hair, the brunette looked adorable.

He was still watching Thomas when a movement caught his attention. Teresa was awake, lying on her side, facing Newt, her head propped up on her right hand. She looked at him, then at her cousin, then back at Newt, raising her eyebrows as if in a question. Newt shrugged. Tess now pursed her lips in a kiss-like motion, her eyebrows still raised. Newt nodded. The girl beamed at him. The blonde rolled his eyes. "Help me", he mouthed; he really wanted to get up as his foot was hurting and the air in the tent was not exactly fresh-smelling, but he also didn't want to be confronted with Thomas just yet. It was bound to be awkward, no matter what. Teresa shook her head; he resented her for it, but he knew there was really nothing she could do.

Really slowly, he began pulling his hand out of Tommy's sleeping bag. He felt bare skin - Thomas' lower back under his shirt, he realised. He managed to pull his arm out without even causing the brunette to stir. Teresa gave him a thumbs-up. Now came the difficult part - lifting Thomas' arm off him. He took hold of the wrist and tried to lift it when the other boy moved and caught him in an even tighter embrace. Newt held still, feeling like a character in a bad romantic comedy. He then tried to slide out from under Thomas' arm - and groaned in pain.

Thomas stirred again and opened his eyes. He looked over at Newt, whose face was partly obscured by the brunette's arm under which he had tried to slide through. Newt again felt as if he was starring in a bad comedy or sitcom; this was too embarrassing to be true. "Morning", he murmured into Thomas' arm, blushing.

All the sleepiness was gone from Thomas' eyes and he knit his eyebrows. "Newt, what exactly are you doing?" He then groaned, as if the tiny movement of his eyebrows had hurt immensely. "Fuck, my head!" Thomas brought his hands up to cover his eyes, and Newt seized the moment to sit up and start crawling out of the tent. Grabbing his shoes, he limped barefoot over to where the fire had been last night. 

The others weren't up yet, but he could hear something stirring in the other tents as well now. Teresa came out of the tent, joining Newt at the fire pit and handing him a bottle of water. She didn't look half as bad as the blonde felt, but still not as if she was ready to hike. Within the next half hour, the others joined them, one by one. Nobody talked much; they were all busy nursing their hangover by not eating and drinking loads of water. Chuck and Alby actually went to puke somewhere in the woods; the mood was not exactly bad, but to describe the scene as cheerful would have been a lie.

Newt's head hurt too much in the sunlight to think about Thomas; the ground was wet, so apparently it had rained during the night, but the weather was fine again, probably a bit windier than the day before, though. Thomas caught his eye once and gave him a tiny smile, which Newt returned. There, that didn't seem half bad! They would surely have a possibility to talk about this whole thing later.

After bumming around their camp for an hour, Teresa clapped her hands. "Guys, we need a plan!"

"Ouch!" Minho winced, covering his ears with his hands. "Jeez, woman, don't be so loud, my head feels like it's gonna split in half any minute!"

Teresa rolled his eyes. "Sorry", she mock-whispered. Then she continued in a normal voice. "Seriously, though, what do we do?"

Newt cleared his throat. "Guys, I don't think I can walk to that shack and then hike again for the whole day and back to the camping site tomorrow. How about I point you in the right direction and you guys go ahead to find the others while I make my way back to where we came from?"

Thomas turned his head and looked at the blonde sharply. "No way. We're not leaving you."

The others murmured in agreement. "I am not going to hike without a compass or a boy scout", Gally said. "We're all going back, together. If we leave now, we have plenty of time to reach the camping site, despite Newt's injury. It only took us, what, two or three hours to get here." The others nodded once more. Newt was secretly glad they wouldn't leave him - not that he wouldn't have gone alone, but it was much nicer that way. And saver.

"Well, then... Thanks, guys. How about we pack our stuff?"

They went to work; Newt doing all the tasks that could be done sitting down, like rolling up sleeping bags and packing backpacks. It didn't take them long; fifteen minutes later, everything was packed and they were on their slow way back to the camping site. Teresa had insisted on taking Newt's backpack to make walking easier for him. The treatment as well as the night's rest, despite the kissing and drinking, had helped his ankle; walking hurt, but leaning heavily onto Alby, it was bearable. 

The two of them were walking in the back of the short procession; Minho had wanted Newt to lead the way and let the limping boy set the pace, but said limping boy didn't want to slow the others down. After an hour of walking, they reached a path they recognised, a sign pointing towards the camping site. Newt dearly needed a rest, so the other agreed to follow the path slowly and meet them at the benches where they had rested the day before. Minho offered to stay with Newt, and the others left.

Newt and Minho had been sitting next to each other in silence for several minutes when Minho suddenly said: "Alright, kiddo, what happened?"

Newt, who was drinking from his water bottle, coughed, almost suffocated and then looked at his friend sheepishly. "I don't know what you're talking about. At all."

Minho looked at him in a way that could only be described as a 'yeah, right.' He sighed. "Dude. You're not the biggest talker on normal days, but you seem like a zombie today. You don't even complain about your ankle, you don't groan, you just stare. I doubt it's just the hangover. Is it probably a..." Minho grinned. "...bang-over?" 

Newt rolled his eyes but grinned despite of himself. That wordplay was actually kind of awesome. "You're barking up the wrong tree, Minho."

Minho raised his eyebrows. "Dude, you can't tell me nothing's happened between Thomas and you. The two of you have been gay-ing up the place ever since we got off the bus!"

Newt sighed. "I wish you wouldn't call it that."

Minho clapped his hands. "Ha! So something DID happen - I knew it!"

Newt stared at his friend for several seconds. "We may have kissed. And cuddled. I can't remember anything else after that." His voice was low, a bit sad.

Minho patted his back. "Good for you, dude. But you don't really sound too happy about all that."

Newt sighed once more, looking at his hands. "I just don't know what to do, mate. I mean - it was really amazing and all that, but what if he doesn't remember? What if it only happened because we were drunk? What if he doesn't like me the way I like him?"

Minho threw his hands up in despair. "So you DO like him! Why didn't you say something?"

Newt stared at his friend once more. "Because you'd have mocked me about that, duh!"

Now it was Minho's turn to look sheepishly. "True."

They were quiet for some time. "So, what should I do?" Newt finally asked.

"Well, as much as I love the art of confusing people, I think in this case, you should probably talk to him."

Newt rolled his eyes once more. "Thank you, oh wise old man, for your enlightening words!"

Minho stuck out his tongue at his friend before getting to his feet. "Come on, Long John Silver, let's get going!"

...

The seven of them reached the camping site in the late afternoon. The boys were really relieved; Teresa had spent the last twenty minutes of their journey singing "Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift and thought herself to be hilarious, to which none of her companions wanted to agree to. Their class was not there; they were most likely still hiking through the woods, as they couldn't reach anyone via phone.

They were all tired and only wanted to shower, eat and sleep their hangover and the exhaustion and tension of the last two days off. However, Teresa convinced them that it would be better to set up the tents first.

"I'll do it" Thomas volunteered. "I'm getting the hang of it. But someone to help me would be awesome." Alby agreed to do it while Minho and the other boys started to look for food in their backpacks. Teresa came over to where Newt was sitting.

"I think I'm gonna take a shower. Wanna come?" She winked. "No hetero, of course! But I thought I could assist you getting there and back, and if you need any help, it'd be less awkward with me than with any of the boys."

Newt beamed at her; the business of showering had given him an even graver headache for the last quarter of an hour. "That would be great - but only if you really don't mind!"

Teresa smiled back. "Sure. I'll get your stuff!"

The two of them limped over to the shower bungalow. Teresa was incredibly strong; she had no problem manoeuvring the tall boy across the campsite and into the building. She sat him down on one of the benches and started taking off his shoes. Newt was busying himself with his jacket and sweater; he was not entirely comfortable talking to Teresa as he didn't know how much she knew about last night.

As if she'd read his thoughts, she suddenly looked up to him and said "Don't be embarrassed, Newt. You were making out, not having full-on sex next to me. It's okay!"

Newt blushed at that and got awkwardly stuck in his pullover, feeling like a silly movie character for the third time that day, but said nothing.

"He likes you, Newt." Teresa took off Newt's socks and helped him out of his jeans. "You should really talk to each other." The blonde nodded and leaned onto the girl, who helped him into a shower cubicle and handed him his shampoo. "Just call out if you need anything", she said and was about to close the door behind her when Newt instinctively pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you", he whispered. "You're an amazing friend." Teresa hugged him back for a while before answering: "So are you." Then she crinkled her nose. "But you need a shower." Giggling, Newt closed the door behind himself.

...

As soon as they were all showered and fed, they decided to go take a nap. It was only six pm, but everyone was really tired. Teresa and Newt were already in their tent when Thomas came in. As if on cue, the girl made to leave. "I totally gotta be somewhere right now, see you later", she said, leaving the two boys in the alone, facing each other.

Newt was lying on his side, his head propped up on his left arm. Thomas knelt at the entrance, not sure what to do, but apparently decided to settle into his sleeping bag, lying on his stomach, his crossed arms functioning as his pillow, his head turned towards the blonde.

Newt looked at Thomas; despite the shadows under his eyes, the boy was stunning, especially with his messy, partly wet hair. The brunette returned his gaze, looking almost nervous. When he couldn't take the silence anymore, Newt said: "Listen, Thomas..."

"Wait." The brunette raised his head and propped himself up on his elbows. "Whatever you're about to say - please don't say you're sorry about last night. Because I'm not."

Newt blinked, confused. "Why would I be sorry about last night, Tommy?" The nickname just happened, but he saw Thomas' eyes brighten at it.

"You might regret it."

Newt's eyes grew wide. "Why would I regret that?"

Thomas looked away. "Because you might be embarrassed. Because you might not want to see me again. Because you might not like me that way."

The blonde sat up. "That's what you think, Thomas? Really?"

Thomas remained silent, refusing to look at him. Newt took a deep breath.

"Thomas, I am not sorry about last night. How could I? You are an amazing guy, clever and nice, and you're handsome as hell, and I've had a crush on you since the second you've entered the biology room for the first time. So don't bloody think I could ever regret kissing you because that is insane!"

Thomas finally looked up at him, and when he did, pure joy was in his eyes. "Really?" he whispered.

Newt couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Really. And by the way, once you're over your shock, feel free to kiss me again."

The speed with which Thomas sat up and pressed his lips to Newt's was almost comical. Their kiss had nothing from the passion they'd shared the night before; it was sweet, gentle, and full of unuttered feelings. They were tenderly cupping each other's faces, touching the other's cheeks as if they were made of glass. When they finally broke their kiss, Thomas kept holding Newt's face close to his.

"I am in love with you, Newt", he whispered. "I have been since I first saw you. I am so glad that things turned out this way. If you hadn't included Teresa and me like you did, we'd still be the awkward outsiders." Newt didn't know how to answer - he was afraid to wake from this dream - so he kissed Thomas once more. "My Tommy", he murmured against the brunette's lips.

Then he pulled back to yawn. Thomas giggled; "You're tired, I get that. Maybe we should go to sleep." 

"Good idea!" Newt settled into his sleeping bag once more. Thomas did the same thing, cuddling up against the blonde's chest.

"Sleep well, Tommy", Newt murmured, already only half-conscious. 

"Newt?"

"Huh?"

"Are we a couple now?"

"Well, how would you define a couple?"

"Probably two people in love with each other?"

"Then we are definitely a couple. Sweet dreams."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done :) I hope you liked it, let me know if you did!  
> So our otp is together now - will everyone be cool with that? And will the seven be reunited with the rest of their group? The story's not over yet :)  
> Loads of love xx


	8. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newtmas are a thing now, and their classmates arrive back at the camp. Also - Minho is sassy, in case you missed him.  
> But where did Teresa spend the night and which Hogwarts house would Thomas put himself in? Not all riddles are solved yet ;) Enjoy!

Waking up the following morning, Newt was temporarily not quite aware of where he was; having slept fourteen hours, he was disoriented for a moment until he felt Thomas curled up against his chest, breathing evenly. They were back at the campsite. Thomas was in love with him. Everything was well.

Thomas was in love with him. This simple thought made Newt's heart beat faster, made the butterflies in his stomach go nuts, made him grin like an idiot. Even though his foot was probably injured badly enough to make him limp around for weeks, Newt was certain that this field trip was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He brought his right hand up to Thomas' face and gently caressed his cheek. The brunette stirred lightly.

"Good morning, Tommy", Newt whispered. Thomas blinked a few times, looking adorably sleepy, then slightly turned his head to look up at his new boyfriend. "Good morning, Newtycutie!" he yawned.

Newt raised his eyebrows quizzically. "Not good?" Thomas asked.

"Definitely not." 

The brunette frowned as if so much thinking this early in the morning was more than he could handle. Then he smiled joyfully. "I'm just gonna call you babe until I can think of something creative, alright?"

Newt nodded. "Alright."

Thomas shifted closer to Newt's face and kissed him gently on the lips. "Good morning, babe", he whispered. 

Newt grinned. "Morning, handsome!"

The two of them shared another sleepy good morning kiss; Thomas' lips were soft, and he smelled faintly of the shampoo he had used to wash his hair the night before - lemons. Newt suddenly recalled that Teresa was sharing their tent; was she still asleep? Breaking the kiss, he looked to his left - and froze: the girl wasn't there, and neither was her sleeping bag. Thomas followed Newt's gaze and immediately understood. He looked back at his boyfriend, frowning. "Didn't Tess sleep here?"

Newt shrugged, propping himself up on his elbows. "I know as much as you do, Tommy. But it doesn't look like it."

Thomas looked confused. "But where would she have slept, then? I can't believe she'd spend a night next to Minho just to give us some privacy. She is not that selfless."

"How about we look outside?"

Thomas nodded. "Good that." He pecked Newt on the cheek. "You're so clever - a real catch." 

Newt frowned. "Do I hear irony?"

Thomas grinned cheekily. "I don't know - do you?"

The two of them put on their shoes and went outside, Newt jumping on one leg, which hurt. Their five companions were already sitting on a bench, having the last bits of their provisions for breakfast. Thomas helped Newt over to a second bench next to their friends and went to get their own food. Minho looked at Newt, wiggling his eyebrows.

"So, lover boy, how was your night?", he teased. Newt smiled sweetly. "Hotter than yours, I presume?" The others laughed, Teresa adding a "Burn!". Minho pretended to be annoyed, but he grinned at his friend. "Good to hear that."

Newt glanced at Tess, who looked happy and well-rested. "And speaking of hot nights - where were you, Teresa?"

The girl blushed. "I was in the tent, Newt, where else would I have been?" But she didn't look into his eyes. To avoid the awkward silence that followed, Gally quickly said: "I hope the others will be back soon - our food is gone."

Alby patted Gally's shoulder. "They will, I'm sure. Don't worry." Newt felt happy seeing that Gally and the others were getting along well. Apparently, this field trip had created more than one new friendship. And from the way Teresa had blushed, probably also more than one love affair. Newt made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

Thomas came back with their food, and the two of them had breakfast with the others. Chuck brought up the question of whether they would get worse grades for not having completed yesterday's assignments, as they hadn't had any instructions. The others were all appalled at the thought, Minho pointing out that their teacher could count himself lucky if he got to keep his job after abandoning seven helpless teens in the woods.

"Helpless my aunt Fanny", Newt murmured, making the others laugh.

After the meal, Newt wanted to go back to the tent to rest, and Thomas eagerly agreed to come along. After all, they had so much to talk about - even though they were really into each other, there were still so many things they didn't know about the other one. So they cuddled up in their sleeping bags and started to chat about all kinds of things.

"A Gryffindor? Yeah, I definitely think so, too!", Newt confirmed Thomas' answer when he'd asked him which Hogwarts house he thought he'd be sorted into. "You are quite the impulsive one!"

Thomas grinned. "I love that you actually asked me that question. It's so nerdy and cute." The brunette kissed his boyfriend on the nose. "I can't believe I have a British boyfriend. That is so sexy!"

Newt grinned back at Thomas. "Best not to introduce you to my gay cousins, then, if we ever visit London."

The brunette suddenly looked excited. "Would you go to London with me some time? Really?" Newt nodded. "Sure, why not? It is, after all, my home - I would love to show you what I love about it!"

Thomas smiled seductively. "You wanna know what I love about you?" 

Without waiting for an answer, Thomas kissed Newt. "Your lips", he whispered, before kissing the blonde once more, deeper, teasing him with flicks of his tongue. "Your tongue." He kissed him again, biting Newt's lip, causing him to groan. "Your moans." Thomas leaned down to kiss his boyfriend's neck. "Your neck." Newt whimpered softly. The brunette let his hand slide under the hem of his boyfriend's t-shirt and pulled it upwards, exposing Newt's muscular stomach. "Your six-pack", he murmured, planting a trail of kisses across the blonde's middle. Newt was aware of the fact that he was hard; the bulge in his trousers made it obvious to Thomas, too. The brunette let his hand slide lightly over his boyfriend's groin, causing him to moan once more. He grinned up at Newt, his lips still on his boyfriend's stomach. "And I don't know your cock yet, but I'm sure I'll love it, too." Newt's eyes went wide as Thomas let his hand slide into his trousers. Being touched by Thomas felt amazing; not because his last sex had been months ago, but because everything felt so right with that guy. He was aware of the brunette's hand with every cell of his body as it slowly made its way into Newt's boxers. 

Just then, Chuck's voice startled them. "They're back! Come quickly!"

Thomas looked as if their classmate had just announced that Christmas had been cancelled, making Newt chuckle despite the interruption. The brunette pulled his hand out of Newt's trousers and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "To be continued", he whispered, winking at his boyfriend.

...

If their teacher had intended to give them a lecture for getting lost, he hadn't thought of Minho.

The seven teenagers were sitting on the benches where they'd had their breakfast, surrounded by their classmates, who looked happy that their lost colleagues were back, and showered them with questions about what had happened.

"Why didn't you come to the shack the next day?" Zart, a rather quiet guy, asked. "How did you manage to find the way back?" a boy with the nickname Frypan wanted to know. "And how did you guys not kill each other?" Ben mused.

They were busy trying to answer all the questions when their teacher made his way through the circle of students. He had his hands on his hips and quietly looked at each of the seven runaways by turns. Given the fact that he was smaller than any of them and that his huge glasses and slim build made him look like a rat, nobody seemed impressed. 

"What were you thinking?" Mister Schneider yelled. "Why didn't you follow my instructions? What if something had happened to you? Why didn't you get in touch when you couldn't find us? Is -"

That was when Minho had heard enough. Jumping to his feet, he was almost a head taller than their teacher - and much broader.

"Now listen carefully before you make any more of your unjust accusations", the Asian kid said in a voice that permitted no interruption. "Newton here hurt his ankle. We had no way to contact you, no idea how to get our injured colleague to the shack, no possibility to tell where you'd go next. All we could do was bring him back here safely, which we did. So if I were you" - he gestured towards Newt, who tried to make his face look like it was twisted with pain - "I would get that kid to the hospital ASAP and pray his super awesome lawyer mum won't sue your head off." And with that, he sat back down, looking very content with himself.

Their teacher just stood there, staring at his student for a few moments. Then he turned to Newt. "Should I call an ambulance?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading :)  
> I know, we have some wrapping up to do, that might not be everybody's thing, but I promise you a sweet ending and a fluffy epilogue :)  
> Feedback is always appreciated! :)  
> Lots of love xx


	9. Going back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here comes chapter 9, in which we find out where Teresa goes at night and experience a steamy Newtmas scene. Also, loads of sass and fluff, like always. Enjoy!  
> Also - I have a question for you in the notes, please help me decide how to go on!!!

Two hours later, Newt was hobbling out of a treatment room, clutching two crutches. Gally had been right, the nice doctor had explained to him - his physis was injured, and he would have to walk on crutches for about three weeks and was to see a doctor in ten days to check on him.

Thomas had waited outside the treatment room the whole time; he had accompanied Newt on his trip to the ER, constantly asking the paramedics questions. His enthusiasm made his boyfriend smile; Thomas would make an excellent doctor one day. When the door opened, the brunette looked up from the medical journal (of course) he had been reading and smiled at Newt. "Aye-aye captain, how's the foot?"

Newt groaned. "Please don't let Minho hear you, he's made pirate jokes before and I really wouldn't want that to become a thing." Limping over to the bench his boyfriend was sitting on, he nudged him with one of his crutches. "Thanks for waiting, Tommy. Where's our teacher?"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "At the information office, handling all the bureaucratic details. He told me to come down when you were ready so we could take a taxi back to the campsite." The brunette looked at him in a concerned manner that made Newt feel like he was the most important person on the planet. "Or would you rather go home?"

The blonde shook his head. "We're leaving in less than forty-eight hours, anyway, and I'd rather stay with you." He leaned over to kiss Thomas gently on the lips, making a young nurse who was just passing by utter a tiny "Aww!". Newt blushed slightly. Thomas helped his boyfriend get up. "Come on, babe, let's go back - before you make all the girls swoon with your adorableness!"

...

The three of them arrived back at the campsite in time for lunch - the whole class had ordered pizza, and Alby had made sure his friends would get their fair share. Happily inhaling the first warm food in days, their new clique - Newt, Alby, Minho, Thomas, Teresa, Chuck and Gally - was sitting around a table. It was sunny again, and the air was fairly warm for autumn - they didn't mind sitting on the outdoor furniture.

"So, Newt", Minho said with his mouth full of pizza. "How long will you have to walk on crutches? When will you be able to run again?"

Newt finished his bite of pizza before answering. Talking while chewing was rude, his mother had taught him from an early age on. "I guess it'll take a month until I can train again."

"Train?" Thomas asked. He looked at the blonde. "You're on the running team, babe? I never knew."

"He is", Minho munched. "I'm the captain. What about you? You any good?"

"He is", Teresa included herself in their conversation before Thomas could answer. "You should totally try out, Tom, you used to run at your old school."

"You should, Tommy", Newt agreed and smiled at his new boyfriend, who returned the smile. "I'll think about it, babe."

Minho groaned. "Please don't call him that. I don't think I can take so much romantic stuff, and you know how I hate to tease people."

"You won't tease us", Thomas answered seriously. "Or else I'll call you honey-pie, and then Teresa's never gonna hook up with you." Minho looked as if he had a sudden attack of tooth ache. The others laughed at him, but Tess remained serious.

"I'd appreciate it my vagina stayed out of your conversation, boys!" she stated. With a look at Thomas, she added: "It's not like you know a lot about that, anyway." This time, Minho let out a "Burn!" and high-fived Teresa.

"Alright, enough with the sex jokes!" Newt exclaimed.

"Thanks", Gally said to the blonde before addressing the whole group. "Change of topic. Any ideas as to what we could do with the rest of the day?"

...

They ended up building a fire, sitting around it and playing "Werewolf" all afternoon with a couple of other kids, including Zart, Ben and Frypan. Newt was surprised at how good Thomas was at the game; he did a good job pretending to be innocent when secretly he wasn't - his boyfriend was definitely a talented actor. There was a lot of laughter, especially because Minho was really bad at hiding his true identity, and his curses caused the others to permanently giggle. The fire added a lot to the atmosphere, and as Newt was sitting next to his new boyfriend, Thomas' hand lightly on his knee, surrounded by his friends, he thought he had never been happier. 

The day ended with more chatting, more sandwiches and, at least for Newt, in Thomas' arms. Teresa lay next to them; the girl had successfully talked the teacher into letting her stay with her cousin and his boyfriend, and finally, Mister Schneider couldn't take her ranting anymore and allowed it. They were chatting about how they would totally fail to bring anything to their final findings tomorrow when Teresa suddenly grew silent. She was lying on her back, her arms crossed behind her head, looking up to the tent ceiling.

"I think I'm officially over the whole Aris business" she said, out of nowhere.

Thomas reached over to touch her elbow. "That's so great, Tess, I'm so happy for you!"

The girl smiled slightly. "It's just... Looking at you guys, I can see that he never really cared about me as a person the way you care about each other. But that's okay, because I'll find someone who does."

Newt sat up and crawled over to hug Tess, who returned the hug. Then Thomas joined the embrace with an "Aaaaw, how cute!"

"Tom!" Teresa laughed. "You're crushing me!" She lay back down. "And now, if you don't mind, I'll sleep before we're all going emotional and stuff." She closed her eyes, but Newt could see she was smiling.

The blonde settled on Thomas' chest once more - as he was taller than his boyfriend, Newt had to tuck up his legs to fit into the tent, but he would have done anything to be able to cuddle up with the brunette. Thomas was playing with his hair, and Newt was practically purring at his touch.

"Did you have a good day, Tommy?" Newt whispered. 

Thomas nodded. "Sure I did, I got to spend it with you!" 

Newt snorted. "Cheeseball."

"Shut up. Not my fault I'm so into you. That's all your doing."

And with a last, gentle kiss, they said goodnight.

...

"Wake up, babe!" 

Newt groaned and groggily raised his head from Thomas' chest where it had rested all night. "What's wrong?"

It was still dark in the tent, and Newt guessed it was quite early. Thomas was smiling down at him, kissing his forehead. "Well, for starters, Teresa is gone again."

Newt turned to look to his left - and saw nothing but empty space. The girl had taken her sleeping bag with her, just like the night before. Where was she?

"You want to go looking for her?"

Thomas grinned, a wolf like, toothy grin. "I thought we could shower together as no one's up yet."

Newt felt his eyes grow wide. Feeling Thomas' skin against his own while warm water was raining down on him sounded like the most wonderful situation possible. He nodded. "But you must help me, please."

Like thieves in the night, the two of them made their way quietly across the campsite, careful to make no sound on the dewy grass. Dawn was just breaking - they would have more than half an hour, if not an hour, to themselves. That sounded like heaven to Newt.

The two of them reached the bungalow and turned on the lights. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Thomas kissed Newt so passionately the blonde had to tighten his grip on his crutches to avoid crashing to the floor. "Wait", he gasped. Thomas looked at him, bewildered. "Let's just get rid of my crutches and all those clothes first." A smile appeared on the brunette's face, and he nodded.

Newt let himself fall onto a bench and leaned his crutches against it before taking off his sweatshirt and t-shirt. Thomas was already shirtless and without shoes, kneeling down to help Newt pull his trousers and socks over his bandaged foot. Finally, the blonde was only wearing his boxers. Thomas looked him in the eyes and continued to hold his gaze as he pulled them off and did the same with his own pants and underwear. 

The two boys were still looking into each other's eyes when Thomas reached out his hand to pull Newt to his feet and into his arms. For a few seconds, they just held each other, getting used to feeling the other be so close. Newt had closed his eyes, his head was resting on Thomas' shoulder where he inhaled the boy's scent. The brunette smelled like campfire and his lemon shampoo, a combination that Newt felt to be familiar already.

"Newt?" Thomas whispered.

"Yeah?" The blonde pulled back a bit to look at his boyfriend.

"I'm cold. Can we get into the shower?" Thomas looked at him sheepishly.

Newt smiled and nodded. The two of them quickly grabbed their towels and Thomas' lemon shampoo and went into the nearest cubicle. It was quite spacious; the two tall boys had no problem moving inside. Thomas turned on the water and let it rain onto his face. Newt watched his boyfriend as he stood there, his eyes closed, his hair turning a darker shade of brown as it got wetter, and he reached out for the shampoo bottle and started to soap Thomas' chest. He had been longing to touch the defined muscles of Thomas' upper body for some time, and it felt even better than he had imagined. He let his hands, slick with the liquid, slide over the brunette's muscular arms, shoulders and back. Thomas let out an appreciative sight and reached out for Newt to pull him under the water jet. 

The blonde sighed happily as the warm water hit his back and head, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy the warmth, just like his boyfriend had done. He sensed Thomas coming nearer, and he suddenly felt a pair of lips on his neck. Newt gasped as the lips wandered across his collarbone, down his chest, pausing at first the right and then the left nipple to nibble and lick a bit, drawing another gasp from the blonde's mouth. Thomas continued to kiss his way down Newt's chest and stomach where he stopped to let his tongue circle slowly around his boyfriend's belly button. His eyes were still closed when he felt Thomas touch his half-hard dick. He gasped and opened his eyes. Thomas was kneeling in front of him, gingerly stroking his boyfriend, grinning up at him.

"Tommy, what -"

"Shh, babe. I got this."

"But what if - ahhh - what if someone comes in?"

"Well", Thomas mused, "you better not be too loud, then." And he took Newt's length into his mouth.

The blonde moaned and bit his lips as his boyfriend's tongue playfully whirled around the tip. Newt dug his fingers into Thomas' hair as the brunette continued to lick and suck at his already throbbing erection. Thomas kept looking up at Newt, but the blonde had to break the eye contact more than once to squeeze his eyes shut and stifle moans. It didn't take long to bring him close to the edge.

"Tommy", he panted breathlessly, "I'm so close -"

Thomas didn't say anything but doubled his effort, and seconds later Newt came with a "Tommy!" that sounded almost pained. The brunette then got up to softly kiss his boyfriend on the lips. "That sounded quite good", he said nonchalantly, smiling wrily.

Newt returned the smile. "Yes, but you interrupted my soaping you. I gotta do it again."

He got himself a bit of shampoo on his hand and reached out for Thomas erection that was extremely present; Newt was delighted at how his own arousal had aroused his boyfriend as well. Thomas moaned at the touch. Newt pressed him against the tiled wall and continued to give his boyfriend a hand job.

"If it wasn't for my injury, I'd kneel before you, now, too", Newt hoarsely whispered into Thomas' ear, his hot breath making the boy shiver even more. "And I'd take your large cock into my mouth, all the way. Would you like that?"

"Yes", Thomas whispered breathlessly. 

"I'm sure you would. You are a dirty one, dragging me out of bed so early so you could blow me. You planned that, didn't you?"

"Oh Newt!" Thomas exclaimed, and could feel his hand fill with warm semen. They were quiet for a few seconds, Thomas leaning against Newt.

The brunette opened his eyes lazily. "Who knew you were a dirty talker." He grinned.

Newt grinned back. "You ain't heard nothing yet."

"I hope so."

...

The two boys took their time showering, then towelled each other off and, dressed in fresh clothes and in a wonderful mood, walked back to their tent when they saw Teresa crawl out of a different tent. She seemed oblivious to their presence as she quietly pulled her sleeping bag out of said tent and made to go back to theirs.

"Tess!" Thomas hissed. The girl froze and turned around to see Newt and Thomas - and to judge from her expression, they were the last thing she wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. 

Thomas gestured to their tent and the three of them got back in, Newt still having trouble crawling with his injured foot.

"So", Thomas said when they were all sitting. "Where were you?"

Teresa looked defensive. "Where were you? Huh?"

Newt raised his eyebrows. "We went to shower; Tess, come on, don't be like that, we were just worried."

She seemed to calm a bit. "I..." Teresa paused. "I spent the night with one of the boys. Again. It's not what you think", she quickly added. "I just really, really like him."

"Who is it, then?" Thomas asked. "Is it Gally? Please don't say it's Gally." Newt shot him a stern look. "Alright, alright, I know, babe, all God's children, you said that before but... I just think he's a bit too serious for you."

Tess just raised her eyebrows. "It's not Gally."

"Well WHO then?" Thomas almost yelled. "God, the suspense is killing me!"

Teresa looked at her hands. "It's Chuck."

"CHUCK?!" Thomas and Newt exclaimed at the same time, looking at each other, stupefied, then back at Teresa, who looked positively furious. "What's wrong with that?" she demanded.

"Nothing", Newt said soothingly. "We're just surprised, that's all. Chuck is a really nice guy and we're so glad you're happy." He nudged Thomas.

"Yes, yes, we are, so glad, so glad."

Teresa rolled her eyes. "It's definitely too early for you to use the couple plural."

...

The last day of their field trip was spent working on the portfolio. As the seven of them lacked a lot of material, they were done fairly soon and took to building a campfire and roasting sausages and jacket potatoes and cutting bread for their fellow students.

That night, they sat around the fire as long as the temperature made it possible. Thomas was quite sleepy; he had his head leaned against Newt's shoulder and fell asleep a few times, but only for several minutes until laughter startled him back to wide-awakeness. 

"We can go to sleep, you know", Newt mumbled into his ear. The fire was slowly dying, and several students had already left to pack and go to sleep.

"I know", Thomas muttered back. "I just want to memorise this moment. Because I'm pretty sure I love you, and I want to remember this moment forever in case we get married and stuff."

Newt chuckled. "You're drunk with sleepiness. Let's get you to bed."

...

The next morning happened in a haze; they were all tired, stumbling about, taking down their tents and putting their luggage into the bus that was already waiting.

Minho was the first one on the bus, shooing away anyone who wanted to sit in the back rows. As soon as Thomas sat next to him, he fell asleep against Newt's shoulder. Alby and Minho took their places behind them, and Chuck, Gally and Teresa sat across the aisle. 

Most of them fell asleep within the first ten minutes of their ride back to school; it was, after all, only half past seven a.m., but Newt felt wide-awake. Apparently, so did Minho, who went to sit in front of him to chat.

"Oh bro, what a week", he moaned. "First, I get lost, then, I don't get the girl. What's wrong?!"

"Well, for starters, we all got lost, not just you. And seriously - there are so many fish in the sea, you'll find someone."

"I don't wanna find someone, I wanna pick up chicks."

"Ok, sure, whatever, we'll find you chicks to pick up. Because what could go wrong with two superhot gay wingmen at your side?"

Minho sneered. "Yeah." Then he got serious. "I really like Thomas. This will work out just fine with us as a clique and him. I'm happy for you, man."

"Thanks, Minho", Newt replied, surprised at his soberness. It didn't last long, though.

"And I can always date your sister."

"Don't. Ever. Say. That. Again."

...

Newt woke Thomas when the school building came in sight. The brunette rubbed his eyes adorably and yawned like a baby lion. Or at least, Newt thought it looked that way.

They hopped off the bus as soon as it stopped, their backpacks on their backs (Thomas carrying Newt's as he had his crutches to busy him), shouting their goodbyes at their teacher and each other. Newt's mum was already waiting for him, smiling as she saw her son.

"Come, meet my mum!" Newt said to the brunette. He wasn't quite ready to let Thomas out of his sight just yet after all those days of being together 24/7. His boyfriend looked unsure, but nodded and followed along.

"Hello darling!", his mum beamed when they approached her. "Why am I not surprised that you're the injured one again?" She stood on her tiptoes to kiss her son's cheek.

"Mum, this is Thomas, my new boyfriend", Newt introduced Tommy, still feeling jumpy at uttering the word "boyfriend".

Thomas extended his hand. "Pleasure, Mrs Isaac", he said, sounding all gentleman-y.

Newt's mother's eyes practically sparkled with joy. "Thomas, I'm delighted to meet you. I must say that we are in quite a hurry as I let Sonya in charge of the spaghetti and I don't want our house to burn down, but why don't you come to dinner tonight so we can all properly meet you?"

Thomas smiled. "That would be lovely, thank you, Ma'am."

Mrs. Isaac laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, it's Harriet. See you at seven? Brilliant. Newton, come on, a quick goodbye kiss and then we gotta run!" She turned around and led the way to the car, giving them some space.

Newt hugged his boyfriend. "My mum adores you, I can tell. How do you do that?"

Thomas grinned. "Well, I adore you, how do you do that?"

"Magic, duh. It's all a spell - I'm actually hideous."

"No, you're gorgeous. Stupid, maybe, but gorgeous." He kissed Newt gently on the lips, handing him his backpack. "And now run and save your house so I can have dinner with you tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for my late update, I have a terrible exam coming up in 2 days... But on the bright side, it's extra long - and my teacher literally JUST announced we're going on a field trip in two months, haha :D
> 
> So, the "problem" is - my beta now really wants to know what happens at that family dinner; I hadn't planned on writing it, but if you guys wanna know, too, I can totally give you a bonus scene before the actual ending... So please let me know what you think about that! And, as always - thanks for reading, feedback is appreciated :)
> 
> Loads of love xx


	10. BONUS SCENE: The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas meets Newt's adorkable family. Some fluff for you, my loves. Enjoy!!

Newt was relieved when he heard the doorbell ring and he could excuse himself from the kitchen where his mother had ignored the fact that he was hopping on one leg and had him fetch her ingredients and pots all the time while asking him about his new boyfriend and the field trip. As soon as they'd finished the - miraculously unburned - spaghetti, his mother had gone out to buy everything she needed for the dinner; she wanted to do it British, because she was a show-off, and now the roast was in the oven and the Victoria sponge cake was waiting its turn in the pantry. Both of his parents were passionate cooks; to them, creating dishes was a hobby, a compensation of their daily stress, and Newt loved that there was always decent food in the house.

"That must be Thomas!" his mum squealed. Newt rolled his eyes; Harriet was already such a fan of his Tommy, the dinner could only be embarrassing.

"Can you get that, Newton?" his dad called out of the dining room. "I'm just about to finish setting the table!"

"Sure, dad", Newt answered, eager to get out of his mum's reach; he loved her, but he didn't really want to tell her all the details of how he and Thomas got together - especially the drinking part.

Hobbling towards the door, he passed the dining room; his dad was bent over the table, straightening the cutlery like a butler would. Newt looked a lot like his father - even though everyone said he had his mother's face, the tall frame and the blonde hair were definitely Mr Isaac's genetic gift.

When he opened the door, Thomas was standing there, his leather jacket and dark hair slightly wet from the raindrops that had began to fall a few minutes ago. It was almost fully dark - autumn was approaching fast now - and his silhouette looked beautiful against the dusk. The brunette was smiling at him and holding a big bouquet of flowers. "Hello, handsome!" he said, grinning.

"Hi, Tommy!" Newt breathed. He was, suddenly, not nervous anymore; Thomas was stunning, he was his, and he would totally charm his parents. "Come in!"

"Thanks", the brunette smiled again and stepped over the threshold to kiss his boyfriend. As Newt was struggling a bit with his two crutches, Thomas closed the door for him. "Cheers. I would take your jacket, but I guess you'll excuse my not doing it?"

"Oh come on, you're injured, I'm not gonna ask you to wait on me", Thomas said, hung his jacket onto the coat rack and kicked off his shoes before taking in his surroundings. He was casually dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a blue cardigan that superbly accentuated the shade of his eyes.

"I've never seen a bookshelf in a hallway before", he said, astonished. Newt grinned. People always said that.

"That would be my fault", Newt's father said, coming out of the dining room to greet their guest. "Hello Thomas, I'm John, Newt's father. It's so nice to meet you."

"Good evening, Sir", Thomas answered politely, extending his hand and shaking John's. "Thank you for having me."

"Oh no, it's our pleasure."

Newt rolled his eyes, even though he was thoroughly happy that they seemed to get along. "So, John, the bookshelf in the hallway...?" Thomas prompted.

"Oh, yes. Well, I teach literature, and I have a lot of books. We have a library upstairs, but it is simply too small, so the books are all over the house." He grinned. "And the first thing we'll do when Newton goes to college next year is make a second library out of his room."

Newt rolled his eyes again. "Wow, cheers, dad, I love you too." Thomas chuckled, though, and the sound of it made him happy. "Do you want to give those flowers to me or the cook?"

"You did NOT just call me 'the cook', Newton Isaac!" he heard his mum call from the kitchen. She came rushing out into the hallway, a damp cloth raised like a weapon. Newt crossed his crutches in front of his body. "Please, mum, please - don't hurt me!"

"Not today, we have a guest", she said nonchalantly, making Thomas grin. She extended her hand. "Hello, Thomas, good to see you again."

"Thank you, Mrs - Harriet", the brunette said, shaking her hand. She smiled at him. "Good boy, I really don't want to be called 'Mrs Isaac' by my son's significant other."

"I hope you'll like those", Thomas said, giving her the colourful bouquet of flowers.

Newt's mum beamed. "Those are beautiful, thank you so much! They will look amazing on the table. Honey, would you fetch a vase?" she asked her husband, who disappeared into the kitchen.

"Now come into the dining room, boys, dinner's ready. SONYA!" Harriet shouted up the stairs. "DINNER!"

Mrs Isaac turned back to Thomas. "Sorry. Our teenage daughter is in her room listening to One Direction and ignoring her uncool parents. I would ask Newt to get her because he is the only one she genuinely likes in this house, but our son is currently rehearsing for the role of Long John Silver." She pointed at the crutches and then shooed them into the dining room.

"I really don't think I'll be able to stand several weeks of pirate jokes", said son muttered.

Newt liked their house a lot; it was not the typically American house with huge open spaces, but more European in the way that kitchen and dining room were separate - "I don't want my guests to look over my shoulder while I'm cooking!" his mum had exclaimed when the architect had drawn the plans - and it was genuinely bright with a lot of glass and light wood. The dining room was no exception; the massive wooden table with its corner bench and the obligatory bookshelf made for a cosy atmosphere. There were postcards and pictures all over the wall, and Thomas stepped closer to look at some while Newt's dad put the flowers on the table before going back to the kitchen and Harriet went upstairs to get Sonya.

"Your parents are lovely", Thomas said to his boyfriend, putting his arm around his waist. "Oh my god, is that you?" He used his free hand to point at the photograph of a tiny blonde boy, maybe two years old, who was looking at a picture book, a look of adorable concentration on his face. "Yes, that's me", Newt admitted, blushing a bit. "I always try to take all those pictures down, but my parents notice."

"Don't, babe, you were adorable!" Thomas said, pecking his cheek. They heard someone clear his throat behind them. The boys turned around to see a blonde girl, a few years younger than them. She had curly hair falling down to her waist and she was dressed in a colourful dress and leggings.

"If it's not my favourite girl in the world!" Newt exclaimed, hobbling towards her and extending an arm towards his sister, who, despite being a moody teenager, moved over to hug her brother. "They are so annoying!" she complained, obviously talking about their parents. "I know, kiddo, but I'm here for you", he said, squeezing her. "Come meet -"

"Hi Thomas", Sonya suddenly beamed. "Newt has been talking about you for weeks. I have even stalked you a bit during lunch breaks to see if you snogged Teresa."

Newt groaned. "Smooth, kiddo, smooth."

She grinned. "Anything for my beloved brother."

"Please be good, alright? I really don't want you to fight with mum with Thomas here."

Thomas smiled. "I have a sister, too, and a brother, I am used to fighting siblings."

Newt looked at him. "Not helpful, Tommy."

"Sorry."

Sonya grinned. "I like you, Thomas. Fine, I'll behave."

Mr and Mrs Isaac arrived with the food; there was roast beef and mashed potatoes and salad and vegetables, and plenty of everything. Mrs Isaac insisted on Thomas trying eit all, and the brunette obliged her happily. When everyone had started eating and told Newt's mum how delicious the dinner was, Thomas was again the centre of attention.

"So, Thomas, how do you like the Glade High school?" Harriet asked.

Thomas swallowed. "I think it is a very good school, the teachers seem very dedicated. And of course, the fellow students are very nice." He grinned at Newt, who returned his smile.

"Thomas' family just moved here to be closer to his grandmother", Newt explained.

"That is so considerate of you", his mum stated.

"So Thomas, which book are you reading at the moment?" Newt's dad asked suddenly. The three other Isaacs groaned.

"What?" John asked bewildered.

"Dad, you really shouldn't judge people by their taste of books", Sonya scolded.

Thomas chuckled. "It's okay", he said soothingly. "Actually, I am currently reading non-fiction stuff about medicine. I want to apply for med school, and I really think it's important to prepare for that."

Newt's dad nodded appreciatively. "Very clever. It's important to have goals."

Newt relaxed as the dinner progressed; the small talk turned to real conversations, and everyone seemed to get along perfectly well. Thomas once touched his knee shortly and smiled at him to let him know he was fine.

While Thomas and John talked about universities and future plans, Newt told his sister, who had been out all afternoon, more about the field trip.

"And you really got lost?"

"Yeah."

"But weren't you scared?"

"Not really, Sonya, remember, I was a boy scout back in England!"

"I was a girl scout, too, mate, and I wouldn't know what to do."

"You would starve first, Sonya", their mum added.

"What? That's so unfair, my spaghetti were all right today, mum!" the girl complained. Newt grinned; he felt comfortable surrounded by his family and Thomas, and he enjoyed being back at home after that exciting field trip.

"That was delicious", Thomas sighed after they had all had way too much of Mrs Isaac's wonderful roast. 

"Thank you", Harriet beamed at her son's new boyfriend before addressing Newt. "How about you give Thomas a tour of the house while your dad cleans up the table?"

"Is that what I'll do?" John asked, smiling affectionately at his wife. Sonya rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it is, darling, because I'll make some tea to go with the cake. Sonya, you're excused." 

The teenage girl was out of the door within seconds; Newt and Thomas rose more slowly and walked out of the room together. The brunette reached for his boyfriend's arm to caress him, and it felt perfectly natural, like they'd done that for months.

"Kitchen, bathroom" Newt said, pointing at doors, using his crutches. "And this is our living room." The two of them quickly glanced into a big, cosy, vaguely apricot-coloured room furnished with two dark grey couches, a big TV, a piano and the obligatory shelves of DVDs - and books. 

"Seriously, those books are everywhere", Thomas said wondrously as they made their way upstairs, looking at the pictures of Newt's family that seemed to be omnipresent as well.

"I know, but I kind of love it. I also have quite a few in my room", Newt said, opening the door to said room. The blonde's bedroom was quite clean for a teenage boy's; dominated by a big wooden bed, a desk made out of the same material and an enormous bookshelf, it was painted in a subtle shade of green. There were photographs on the wall; a family picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower, a selfie that showed Minho, Alby and Newt trying on ridiculous outfits for a bad taste party, a photograph of Newt and his sister laughing on a beach. Thomas took his time walking around, taking everything in while his boyfriend nervously waited for the verdict.

"So... What do you think?" Newt asked.

The brunette turned around to face him, smiling. "I think it's perfect." He sat down on the bed, patting the space beside him, and Newt sat down next to him. "Your family is amazing. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to eat anything because I was so nervous, but I felt really comfortable - and that dinner! Oh my God!" He groaned and patted his stomach. "How can you stay so skinny with your parents being such good cooks?"

Newt grinned. "I'm a runner." He leaned closer to Thomas and put his head on his shoulder. "I'm glad it's going so well. And they really like you, I can tell."

"But I'm not the first boyfriend you're bringing home, right?"

Newt looked up at him. "Why?"

"Just asking."

Newt nodded. "The second, actually. They never liked Jorge a lot, but then again, he wasn't a good guy. In the end." The blonde suddenly smiled. "But now I have you, and that's all that matters." And he leaned in to kiss Thomas.

It was a tender kiss, expressing all the growing love between them, and Thomas sighed happily as they broke it. Their foreheads still together, he smiled at Newt. "I am so glad we moved here, I can't even begin to tell."

Newt returned the smile. "Me neither."

Just then, they heard Harriet calling. "Kids! Cake!"

Thomas jumped off the bed and helped Newt get up. They made their way downstairs and back into the dining room.

Tea and cake were both excellent, and they once again enjoyed the company of Newt's family very much. While Sonya once more disappeared into her room as soon as she was allowed to, the boys stayed with Newt's parents, had a second slice of cake (even thought they both hadn't thought it possible) and Thomas told them stories about his trips to England in which he was the stereotypical American tourist, and the three Brits were laughing wholeheartedly.

"It's getting late", John said at some point, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. "I've got to do some reading before going to bed." He rose, and so did Thomas. "Good night, Thomas, I hope to see you here again really soon."

"Thank you", the boy answered, and Newt's dad left the room.

Mrs Isaac got up, too. "I'm going to go clean up. Thomas, please feel free to stay the night, we'd love to have you for our Sunday family breakfast!"

Thomas smiled. "Thank you, but I'd better take the car home, my mum's got to be at the hospital at six tomorrow morning." The brunette had told them his passion of medicine came from his mum's job, who was a doctor, too.

Harriet nodded. "I understand. But you can still come over tomorrow. Breakfast's at nine! Good night!" She waved and disappeared.

"Do you really have to go?" Newt asked, a longing in his voice that made Thomas smile.

"I'm afraid so, yeah. But if you want to, I could come over for breakfast. You're house is in running distance - I could jog over, shower at yours and then slip into your bed to wake you?" Thomas grinned.

The blonde returned the smile. "Sounds like a plan."

They walked (and limped) to the front door together. Thomas put on his jacket and shoes, turned to Newt and took his face in his hands. "Thank you for a wonderful night, my love."

Newt smiled. "Thank you for being so amazing."

They shared a long kiss before Thomas opened the door. "See you tomorrow", he said, but didn't move just yet. He just looked at his boyfriend for a few seconds.

"What?" Newt asked, getting slightly nervous with Thomas staring at him.

"Nothing. You're beautiful. Good night!"

And with that, the brunette jogged out into the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this very unplanned little journey into the Isaacs' domestic life! The last chapter is coming up, so exciting and also a bit sad...  
> Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated!  
> Loads of love xx


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catch a glimpse at Newtmas' first vacation together! Enjoy :)

"Newt? Newt! Where are you? Newt?!" Thomas' voice rose in panic, as he couldn't seem to find his boyfriend among the many people.

"I'm here, silly", a familiar voice said behind him. Thomas turned to see the blonde just a few feet away, looking at the skeleton of a huge dinosaur. The brunette quickly closed the space between them and hugged his boyfriend. "I thought I'd lost you", he murmured into his neck.

"In here? I doubt it." Newt pulled back a bit to grin at Thomas.

"You never know. Since our field trip last year, I'm kind of afraid of getting lost."

Newt laughed wholeheartedly, but not in a mean way. "You're cute." He interlaced their fingers. "I'll stay close, though. Wouldn't want them to throw us out of the museum of natural history just because my boyfriend is too loud."

It was July, their last year of high school was over, and Newt and Thomas were on their first vacation together. Newt's grandmother had of course been delighted that her favourite grandson wanted to show his boyfriend the beautiful city of London and had offered them to stay with her. The old lady was almost as much in love with the brunette as Newt and still managed to give them their space. As she wouldn't accept any payment for the plentiful food she provided for them, the boys had surprised her with theatre tickets they would put to use on their last night in London.

They had sixteen days to spend in England before going back to the States, and even though that was quite a long time, Thomas' enthusiasm to see things was enormous, and so they rose early every day to visit sights, take walks in parks or go see plays and musicals. The brunette had taken weeks to plan the trip because he had been so excited, and Newt was fine to go along with the program as long as he had time to drink the occasional tea with his family.

"So, what's next?" the blonde boy asked when they exited the museum and blinked into the late-morning sun. Thomas pulled out a sheet of paper - this day's list. "A boat ride on the Thames. I actually wanted to do that tomorrow, but since the weather is so nice, I'd say we move the Tower to Thursday as it's supposed to rain then." The excitement in his eyes made Newt smile.

"Is it always going to be like that? That you'll plan my day? Because that would be brilliant in college!" The two of them had been accepted into the same college, Thomas as a medical student, Newt as a student of publishing and media studies. Come September, they would move there together and, with a little bit of luck, share a dorm room.

Thomas scowled, not sure if he was being mocked, then smiled. "I can wake you up in the mornings, and remember you to study for exams, and maybe even MAKE you study. I guess you'll have to go to your classes alone, though."

"That'll suck, though." The two boys were used to spend every day together, as if joined at the hip.

Thomas grinned. "It'll be good for you." He planted a kiss on Newt's lips. "Picture time!" He pulled out his phone and took a selfie of the two of them, smiling in front of the amazing building that was the museum.

"Will you send it to Minho again?" Newt asked. "I don't think the poor boy will be able to take any more pictures of us. There aren't enough emoji in WhatsApp to express his disgust." 

Thomas grinned evilly. "Of course I will send it to him. Now come on, let's get going." And together, they disappeared into the maze of London's streets and continued on their happy way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo my dear Newtmas shippers, that's it, we're finished! Thanks so much for reading, I am so happy about all the brilliant feedback I got from you!!  
> My new fan fiction, "On The Same Page", will be posted within the week, I am so excited for a new story, this time from Thomas' point of view. I hope you'll like it!  
> Loads of love xx
> 
> P.S. In case you have any oneshot requests, I'm happy to oblige :)

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be my first longer fanfic, so excited for it!!  
> Comments are appreciated! I have a vague idea of what's gonna happen but input is always welcome!  
> I dedicate this work to my wonderful friend and beta Irina who's not registered here yet but who's always there to fangirl with me <3  
> Spread the Newtmas love <3


End file.
